Combined Yards
by Rikku-Hoshi
Summary: Tidus & Yuna have nothing in common: Tidus is known for his wild parties & the fact that he is basically a pro blitzer, while Yuna spends her time reading & volunteering for scholarships. What binds them together? Well, they're neighbors...
1. Neighbors

Alright, this is like the fifth time now that I've started a new fanfiction (FFX2, of course!) after I said that I was done with fanfiction. The truth is, it's addicting! And this is my...Um...THIRD summer of fanfiction! It's pretty much tradition! So, here I am with yet another fanfiction. This one is a little more fun and easy-going than my last ones have been. I'm going to try to update it every other day or so (I have all the way through chapter 8 already written!) but I can't promise you guys. I need to also get a novel written this summer, so I'm planning on working on my novel in the morning and this story in the afternoon! Haha, so far it's working out pretty well... Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 1: Neighbors

"Summer vacation started, and all you're doing is sitting here and reading? You are so boring, Yunie!" Rikku cried, as she entered the third-story balcony of her friend's house.

"Yep," Yunie, or rather, Yuna, answered, and she turned a page in her book, as if to make a point. Yuna was sprawled out in a chair on the balcony, with her feet up and a smoothie lying next to her, begging to be drank.

"I don't understand you," Rikku said, shaking her head, "Don't you want to go for a swim or something?"

"Maybe later."

Rikku gave an exasperated sigh and said, "I came all the way here to see if you wanted to do something, and you don't want to do anything?"  
Yuna sighed and looked over her book at her cousin, who was standing in front of her with her arms crossed, looking annoyed.

"I didn't sleep well last night," Yuna said, shaking her head, "The neighbor was having a party again."

"Again?" Rikku said, "Didn't he just have one the night before?"

"And the night before that," Yuna said, shaking her head, "And possibly even the night before that. And his parties are so loud! It's nothing but yelling and music, and…Ugh!"

Rikku shook her head in disgust, but a smile crept across her lips.

"Do you think he managed to graduate?" she asked, "Isn't he the same age as you?"

"I don't know," Yuna answered, "I barely know his name, Rikku."

Rikku laughed and said, "Don't lie, Yunie. Everybody knows his name. I think there was another article about him in the newspaper today…"

"Great," Yuna said sarcastically, "What was it about this time? His parties?"

"No, he still has yet to decide on a college, Yunie," Rikku said, "I guess like three colleges are in warfare over him."

"Good for him," Yuna said with a yawn, "You know, it's just not fair that he'll get more scholarships than me."

"I know! Weren't you like valedictorian and everything?"

"Yep."

"And all he is is some blitz star…"

"Yep."

Rikku giggled and said, "Okay, but we can't deny that he's amazingly good-looking."

Yuna looked at her cousin and said, "If I don't start getting some sleep, I'm going to go over there and mess up his 'amazing good looks.'"

Rikku laughed again and said, "I might have to stop you from doing that, Yunie."

Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "I can't believe I have to put up with him for an entire summer again!"

"You never even see him!" Rikku cried, "Well…You do see him, but…"

"I still can't believe he got rid of those bushes that separated his house from mine. What a weirdo."

"Why did he do that again?"

"Apparently, he thought I was hot and wanted to be able to see into my windows," Yuna said, rolling her eyes in disgust, "What were we, sophomores back then? I thought he was the biggest pervert in the world. Well, I still think that, actually."

Rikku laughed and the memory and said, "Well, at least he…Didn't find you hot after all."

Yuna looked up at her cousin with a look of disgust plastered across her face.

"I'm very thankful that he didn't find me 'hot'," Yuna said surely.

"Was anybody 'hot' back then?" Rikku asked, "Didn't you have braces?"

Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "I don't care. The point is, my fifteen-year-old neighbor walked up to me and told me flat out that he was a pervert and thought I was hot and wanted to look into my windows. Only to then finally get his bushes cleared so that our yards pretty much merged, and then to walk up to me and tell me that I wasn't nearly as hot as he thought I was."

"Wasn't that when he first moved there?"  
"Yep," Yuna said, and turned her attention once more to her book.

Rikku giggled and said, "Well, I'm pretty happy he did that! From this balcony, we have an excellent view into his yard!"

"Rikku, you're as bad as him!"

Rikku giggled once more and said, "I think I know why you spend all your time up here. It's so that you can watch him!"

"It is not!" Yuna said, shaking her head, "He's annoying, and I can't wait until he goes off to blitz camp."

"In the newspaper, it says he's not going," Rikku stated, "Since he's already pretty much signed onto a professional team and all."

"What do you do, stalk him?"

"Yunie, my old man pretty much reads the sports section out loud every morning! I can't help but overhear!"

"Sure, Rikku," Yuna just mumbled. Her cousin was now standing at the edge of the balcony, looking down in the yard across from Yuna's.

"I can't believe I never realized what a perfect view into his yard we have!" Rikku chirped, "Yevon, we could watch him swim!"

Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "He sleeps all day, because he parties all night."

"Ha, so you know his schedule!" Rikku said, laughing, "I knew you were secretly stalking him too!"

"Oh, so you admit to stalking him?" Yuna asked.

"No…" Rikku said, "Trust me, Yunie, I'm seriously considering just sitting here and watching him. I would totally admit to stalking him."

"Well I have no interest in him and you know it," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "He's an annoyance."

"Oh my Yevon, there he is now!" Rikku cried. Yuna turned toward where her cousin's eyes were, only to see that indeed, her annoying neighbor and one of his friends had just exited his house and were running into the backyard, tossing a Frisbee.

"Oh my Yevon, he has no shirt on!" Rikku said, her voice growing high-pitched, "And his friend isn't too bad looking either!"

"Just because you're technically a senior in high school now doesn't mean you have to go all boy-crazy on me," Yuna said, turning her attention back to her book.

"Did he go to Bevelle Public High?" Rikku asked, "It sucks that we didn't go to the same school as him. Our blitz team would have actually been good! Didn't they take the Spira High School League Cup or something like that?"

"Don't know, and do not care," Yuna answered.

"Stupid us having to go to Lady Yunalesca," Rikku said, "Private schools definitely don't have the good-looking guys that public schools have."

"I won't argue with you there," Yuna said, taking a sip of her now mostly-melted smoothie.

"They are so cute!" her cousin cooed, "I can't believe how tan they are! Summer just started!"

"They probably tan," Yuna said, rolling her eyes in disgust, "Would you stop staring at them? They'll see you and think you're crazy, or something."

"They're too busy to look up here!" Rikku said, "Besides, it's not your fault the bushes are gone. Those would have blocked our view."

Yuna folded her book down on her lap, and followed her cousin's eyes once again. Sure enough, the two boys were running up and down the yard, throwing the Frisbee back and forth. They were yelling, too, which was causing quite a bit of noise.

"Wow, you can hear like everything they're saying!" Rikku said, "Do you think they can hear us too?"

"I doubt it," Yuna said, "They're yelling. They're always loud."

"Gippal, you idiot!" Yuna's not-so-beloved neighbor yelled at his friend, "Can't you even catch a damn Frisbee?"

"Dude, I'm still hung over," the second blonde responded, although he smiled widely, "I don't think tonight's party can out-do yesterday's!"

"Ha, I always find a way to out-do the last!" the first blonde said, or rather, yelled.

"What a bunch of losers," Yuna said, standing up.

"Yeah, what a bunch of hot losers," Rikku said, leaning against the railing, "I almost wish they'd look up here so that I can wave or something!"

"Rikku, they'll think you're an idiot," Yuna said, grabbing her book and her glass, "Come on, let's go swim or something."

"No way, I'm staying here!" Rikku said, "This is more fun than swimming!"

"Watching them toss a Frisbee back and forth?" Yuna said, shaking her head, "Come on Rikku."

"Hey, some girls just came!" Rikku said, and sure enough, two girls had exited his house and were walking toward the two guys. "Yevon, they look like sluts!"

"They probably are," Yuna said to her friend's last comment.

"I mean, could they get their skirts any shorter?" Rikku said.

Yuna looked once more, just in time to see two girls—and blonde and a brunette—walking toward the two guys, with ridiculously low tops and ridiculously short skirts.

Rikku sighed and said, "Do you think those are their girlfriends?"

"Probably," Yuna answered.

To answer Rikku's question, the brunette ran up to Yuna's neighbor and took his hands in hers, and then kissed him.

"Gross," Rikku said, "Didn't they ever think that maybe people were watching?"

The other two took hands and waved goodbye to the kissing couple, and walked out of Rikku and Yuna's sight, leaving the other two behind.

"Yevon, get a room already!" Rikku said then, looking upset, "Come on Yunie, let's go do something else now."

Yuna laughed and said, "Didn't you figure he had a girlfriend?"

"Well, yeah," Rikku said, "Someone as hot as he is can't be single. It's a law of life."

Yuna nodded and said, "I agree full-heartedly."

"And did you hear Yunie? Apparently there's going to be another party tonight."

"Yeah, I heard," Yuna said softly, "Another night of no sleep…"

"You can stay at my place if you want," Rikku said.

"I know," Yuna said, "But if my father calls from Luca, he's going to be ticked if I'm not home."

"Why's he like that?" Rikku asked.

"I don't know," Yuna said, shaking her head, "But he calls every night just to 'keep me in check."'

"Yevon, I seriously think a baby is being made," Rikku said, nodding to the two kissing down a ways from them.

"Come on," Yuna just said, leading the way into her house.

The two entered Yuna's spacious home, and Rikku let out a sigh.

"Yunie, I want to go to one of his parties," she said.

"No way," Yuna said, shaking her head and looking disgusted, "They're crazy."

"I know," Rikku said, looking sheepish, "But he's so cool! I mean, he's a huge blitz star and everything…"

"Since when have you thought he was cool?" Yuna asked.

"Yunie, last year I was a mere sixteen-year-old. I am now seventeen and much more mature. Don't you know that?"

Yuna laughed and said, "I made it through high school without going to a wild party."

"I know, I know," Rikku said, "But I just want to experience one, you know what I mean?"

Yuna shook her head and said, "Not really…"

Rikku gave her cousin an exasperated look, only to have that look interrupted by a sudden wave of music.

"Ooh, that's my phone!" Rikku said, and quickly answered it, "Hello?"

She stood there for some time, listening to whoever was on the phone. Finally, she pouted and said, "Fine. Bye."

She hung up and sighed, and turned to her cousin.

"Yunie, I gotta go. Brother got in another accident and I need to pick him up."

"Another one?"

"Yeah, that guy can't drive," Rikku said, rolling her eyes, "One more accident, and he's getting his license taken away. It's about time though."

Yuna laughed and said, "Alright, I'll see you later, Rikku."

"Yeah, bye Yunie! Oh, and if the parties get a little too carried away, just go over there and tell them all to knock it off! Or, you know, call the police!"

Yuna laughed and said, "I'm pretty sure my dear neighbor would love that."

"Does he have any parents?" Rikku asked, rolling her eyes.

"Not that I know of," Yuna said, "But my dad's never here either, so does it look like I have any parents?"

Rikku laughed and said, "You have a point there. Anyway, I'll come over tomorrow. See you then!"

"Yep, bye!"

Rikku waved, and walked out the door, leaving Yuna alone and to herself once again.

-

"Okay Tidus, seriously now, stop!" the brunette said, pushing him away lightly, "You know very well that you can't take my shirt off out here! What will your neighbor think?"

Tidus laughed and said, "My neighbor? She's never around."

"There's a car in the driveway," the girl said, looking at the house that loomed behind her.

Tidus rolled his eyes and said, "She never comes outside."

"How old is she? Fifty, sixty?"

"Uh, sixteen, seventeen…"

"What? That young?" the girl said, sounding surprised, "Why don't you invite her to a party?"

Tidus looked at his neighbor's house and shook his head.

"She's a geek," he said, "When I first moved here, I was really excited that I was living next to a girl my age, but she's a total nerd. Not my type at all."

"Her house is huge! It's bigger than yours!"

"Not by much!" Tidus defended himself, "Don't even think about her. She puts up with my partying, and that's the important thing."

"Oh my Yevon, we could have a huge party you know, if we combined your yard with hers! There really is nothing separating your two yards…"

"She would never go for that," Tidus said, "Although I never see her parentals. So I guess that would maybe work…"

"Go ask her!" the girl said, pushing Tidus toward her yard.

"I'm not going to go ask her!" Tidus said, "She'll say no."

"I'll give you ten dollars if she says no," the girl said.

"No," Tidus said once more, "I don't need money."

The girl grabbed Tidus' arm and pushed herself against him, saying, "I'll give you something even better."

Tidus just gave her a nod and said, "You'll already give me that."

The girl punched him lightly on his chest and said, "I'd make it even better. Don't you want to out-do yourself?"

"I can out-do myself without that girl's help," Tidus said, "Besides, she won't go for it. Trust me, I know."

The girl pouted and said, "Fine, don't ask her. I'm going to go get something to eat or something. I'll see you later."

She leaned in to kiss him again, and then left, rather hastily.

Tidus sighed and crossed his arms across his chest, and then looked over at the house next to his own.

It would be awesome to throw a party using both yards, and both houses. He figured that party could house the entire city of Bevelle. Really, his house and the house next to him were in the prime area to throw parties.

The houses were to themselves, in the country. There was nobody around. It was easy to throw a party.

Which was why Tidus threw parties. What better thing did he have to do? Especially being that he no longer needed to spend his summer at blitz camp, he figured he'd might as well enjoy his last summer in Bevelle, before he ended up going wherever he was going.

Sighing, he picked up the Frisbee that Gippal had left lying on the ground and took a look around his trashed yard. He wondered if it was worth cleaning up, and decided that the next night, he just wouldn't have a party, and would instead hire some people to clean, just in case his old man decided to come home, although he doubted that would ever happen. It had been months since he'd see him, anyway.

Although every two weeks, he'd receive a check in the mail, usually for a very large sum of money. This was his only sign that his father cared about him. Otherwise his father was out and about in Zanarkand, with who-wanted-to-know-how-many women at his side, and playing blitz.

As long as Tidus went to blitz camps and was to make a professional team, that check came in. Tidus knew this because every time he got a check from his father, there was always a crudely written note with it that always said the same thing: "Don't buy too much booze and make sure you keep playing blitz". Tidus didn't listen to the first part about the booze—he had his fridge filled to the rim with nothing but beer—but he did listen about the blitz part. He knew very well that if he didn't get signed, he could pretty much kiss his lifestyle goodbye. Especially since blitzball and partying was his life.

His phone suddenly began to vibrate in his pocket, so he quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Gip."

"Oh, hey. Where'd you run off to?"

"Well, you started making out, so I headed into your living room with Leblanc. You know how much she hates to see you and Dona make out."

"Yeah, that's why I do it in front of her."

"She's so jealous. It's not even fair."

"Why, because you're only second best to me?"

"Pretty much," Gippal said, "I don't have any interest in Leblanc though, you know."

"Sure you don't."

Gippal laughed and said, "You know I just had to hang out with her because of what happened last night…"

Tidus laughed loudly and said, "Oh hell yes. If you sleep with 'em, you can't drop 'em automatically. Especially not a girl like Leblanc."

"Yeah, she'll throw a fit and you'll never get rid of her!" Gippal said, "Damn Tidus, don't let me ever get that drunk again."

"It's hard to keep you under control," Tidus said, "Dona and I didn't do anything last night."

"Dude, why not?"

"I don't know. I didn't get nearly as shit-faced as you, so…"

"Well, tonight you'll do it, won't you?"

"Probably," Tidus admitted, and then he changed the subject by saying, "Did you ever notice that my neighbor's balcony looks straight into my yard?"

"Yeah, you haven't?"

"No, I did," Tidus said, "A while ago…It's been a while since I thought about the neighbors."

"What made you think of it? Who lives there again? Some ugly girl?"

"Yeah. Dona brought it up. She had a good idea, actually. She said that we should combine our yards."

"Dude, that'd be awesome!" Gippal said, "Why don't you do it?"

"She'd never go for it," Tidus said, "Trust me."

"Who? Dona?"

"No, my neighbor."

"What's her name?"

"Got me."

"When I left your place, a girl came from the house. She had blonde hair. That your neighbor?"

"Um…I think my neighbor has brown hair. I don't remember."

"Well, this girl had blonde hair. She was kind of cute."

"It definitely wasn't my neighbor then. The girl I met two years ago had brown hair, these ugly glasses, and braces. She was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen. And I worked hard to get those bushes removed so I could see into her yard! It must have been her mother that I thought was hot or something…"

"Well, this girl was definitely cute," Gippal said, sounding thoughtful, "She had blonde hair, green eyes…She looked kind of Al Bhed."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No. I don't think she saw me."

"Oh."

"Hey listen, I gotta go. My pops is making me go grocery shopping. You're so lucky your old man just lets you live."

"Yeah," Tidus said, forcing a laugh.

"See you tonight."

"Yeah."

He heard his friend's phone click, and Tidus hung his up as well. He found himself glancing at his neighbor's balcony one more time, before finally sighing and walking into his house, attempting without much luck to prepare mentally for yet another crazy party.


	2. Compromise

Hmm...I think this chapter might be the shortest one I have...It's about 2900 words, versus the 3000 I strive for. Oh well, 100 words off isn't that bad... Anyway, here is chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you're liking it so far! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Compromise

Yuna sat up in her bed and let out a long sigh. Even with all of the windows shut, she could still hear her neighbor's party as if it were inside of her house. She had gone to bed very early, all with the hope of at least getting some sleep before the party, but the party was now in full swing, and try as she might, she could not get to sleep.

"How much more of this am I going to have to take?" she questioned herself. Usually his parties went on after the end of school for a day or so, but then stopped as he went to blitz camp. If what Rikku said was true, though, there would be no blitz camp.

Yuna moaned loudly. Could she really take an entire summer of nothing but parties going on next door?

She had tried everything. She had tried sleeping the basement. She had tried ear plugs. She had tried turning her own music on. She had tried all three at the same time. Nothing worked.

Sighing in defeat, Yuna slid over the side of her bed, and sank her feet into her slippers. She threw on her robe and made her way to the third story, and out the door onto the balcony.

The warm wind greeted her as she walked out. It would have been an absolutely lovely night, if the ruckus of the party was not right next door.

She wandered to the edge of the balcony and looked across her yard and into his yard. Sure enough, people were everywhere, running around and screaming, in his pool, and dancing all around. There was a DJ and speakers everywhere.

Leaning against the railing, Yuna said softly to herself, "Tomorrow, I am going to go over there and ruin those speakers."

She smiled at the thought. She was against vandalism, but for the time being, she thought that it would be for a good cause. A very good cause.

For a fleeting moment, she thought about going over to his house to reason with him, but she threw that thought out of her head instantly.

Her neighbor was Tidus, the blitz star. Even though she'd only seen him a few times, she knew he was a spoiled rotten brat. There was no way he would reason with her.

She scoffed out loud and then found herself scanning the party grounds for her neighbor himself. She found his friend—Gippal was it?—dancing with not the blonde girl he'd been with earlier that day, but a different girl. Tidus, however, was nowhere to be found.

Her cat came slinking out the door then, which she had left open. He meowed softly, and she smiled and picked him up, and placed him on the wide railing.

"Hey Kimahri," she said, petting him softly, "I can't help but wonder what it must be like to be down there. Their lives must be so free and unstructured! Like Tidus…Does he even have morals?"

Kimahri simply began to purr, and then jumped down from the railing and walked slowly back inside the house.

Yuna sighed and turned to follow her cat, only to turn once again and look down at the yard next to hers. Once more, her eyes searched for her neighbor, but once again, he was nowhere to be found. Shaking her head, Yuna simply walked back inside her house, and decided to attempt to sleep once again.

It was no doubt going to be yet another long night.

Slipping into her covers, Yuna sighed and said softly to herself, "Tomorrow, I'll go talk to him. I'll tell him that these parties have to stop. I'm sure we can make some sort of compromise."

With that as her final thought, Yuna finally managed to slip into a very uneasy sleep.

-

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong._

_"Damn, did I forget to turn my alarm off?"_

_Ding-dong._

His eyes flashed open and he nearly sprang out of the bed. Just what was that annoying sound? And so early in the morning!

Tidus' eyes found their way to his alarm clock and he noticed that it was two in the afternoon, and that it wasn't his alarm making the noise.

_Ding-dong._

It hit him then. It was the doorbell.

Tidus let out a groan, only to then come to the conclusion that he wasn't alone. Looking down, he saw Dona sleeping down a ways from him.

"Damn," Tidus said softly to himself, "What the hell happened last night?" Of course, he knew what had happened.

_Ding-dong._

"Yevon, whoever it is won't go away," Tidus said, and slid out of the covers. He grabbed a pair of shorts that were lying on floor and threw them on and then went groggily toward the door, popping some Advil as he did so.

He peeked out the window, only to see a girl of about his age standing there, not looking very happy.

"Who the hell…?" he said softly, and then unlocked his door and opened it, saying, "Can I help you? Did you leave something here last night or something?"

"What?" the girl said, sounding confused, "Oh, you think I was at your party last night?"

"Yeah, why else are you here? Look, now's not a good time. Can't you come back around six or something?"

He started to close the girl, but she grabbed it, and said, "This will only take a second."

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to remember if he'd seen her before in his life.

"I'm Yuna," she said, "You know, from next door."

Tidus laughed and said, "You're the girl from next door? What are you doing here?" He almost didn't believe her. Where were her glasses? Where were her braces?

"I wanted to discuss your partying with you," she said, sounding sure of herself. She had on a knee-length skirt and a short-sleeved t-shirt, and a simple pair of shoes, with her hair done very simply. In fact, simple was the first word that popped into Tidus' head upon seeing her.

"Look, I have a headache," Tidus said.

"Well, I do too," she said, not seeming to want to budge.

"Well, then let's discuss whatever later, okay?"

"No, let's do it now. I'll get to the point," she said, placing her hands on her hips impatiently, "I haven't slept well at all since the beginning of the summer. I'm not saying you can't throw parties, or whatever, but can't you make them a little quieter and maybe only throw them on weekends?"

Tidus laughed. Was she serious?

She noticed his laughter and a look of annoyance spread across her face.

"I'm serious," she said, "Any other neighbor would have called the police by now. You're underage anyway, aren't you?"

"To drink," Tidus said, shaking his head, "So what, you're going to call the cops?"

"Yes. If we don't come to a compromise."

"Tidus, what is going on?"

Tidus looked behind him upon hearing the voice, only to see Dona standing there, looking incredibly groggy, and wrapped up in nothing but a short towel.

Yuna looked past him and at the girl and then back at Tidus, with a look of utter disgust plastered across her face.

"Dona, go get some clothes on or something," Tidus just said, sounding annoyed as well.

"Who's at the door?" Dona asked, walking up behind Tidus.

"No one," Tidus said, rolling his eyes so that only Yuna could see.

"Yeah, there's a girl there. Who is she?" Dona pushed her way past Tidus and then stopped and shielded her eyes from the light.

"Go get something on," Tidus said, pushing the girl behind him, "Anyway, Yuna, can you see why I'm a little busy now? We can talk about this later."

With that, he closed the door in her face, and turned around.

_Ding dong._

"Yevon, won't she leave?" Tidus cried, and shoved the door open, and said, "Tomorrow, okay? I'm not having a party tonight. So I'll talk to you tomorrow."

The girl shook her head and said, "Fine. But if there's a party tonight, you can bet I'm calling the cops."

"There won't be," Tidus said, "See you tomorrow."

Without waiting for her reply, he shut the door again.

"Dona, couldn't you see I was talking to someone?" he asked, rolling his eyes this time so that she could see.

"Well, I was waiting for you to come back, and you were taking way too long!" Dona whined, "So I came to get you! Besides, I have cheerleading try-outs in just a few hours. I thought maybe we could have a little more fun before I had to go, but I guess not."

"No, not right now," Tidus said, "My head kills."

"Aw, did you drink too much last night?" Dona asked, putting her arms around his neck.

"Don't you have to go to your try-outs?"

"I can be a little late…"

"Well, I have…to meet Gippal."

"For what?"

"Um…We're planning my next big party. It's gonna be huge."

"Who was that girl?"

"My neighbor."

"She looked like she was our age! Go tell her we're having a double-yard party!"

"She won't go for it. She was here to tell me not to throw parties anymore."

"Yeah, she looked like a bitch," Dona said, and kissed Tidus on the nose, "I'm going to go get dressed. I have try-outs."

"Right," Tidus said, pulling himself out of her arms, "You go do that. I think there's a pre-game on today anyway, and that should be starting."

"What the hell is a pre-game?"

"Don't worry about it," Tidus said, turning his huge, plasma-screen sphere on.

"I thought you had to see Gippal."

"I do," Tidus said quickly, for he had forgotten about his lie, "But I'll watch this first."

Dona rolled her eyes and went back to Tidus' bedroom, where she emerged a few minutes later.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, Tidey-poo," she said, walking over and kissing him on the forehead, despite the fact that he had a look plastered all over his face that he wasn't in the mood.

She rolled her eyes again, and walked out the door, leaving Tidus in peace.

-

"Yeah, he sounds like a jerk," Rikku said, "But I'm not going to lie…I wish he would come outside."

"Rikku, weren't you listening? He had a naked girl running around his house!"

"So he's serious with his girlfriend, big deal. That doesn't mean I can't admire his looks from afar."

"He's a jerk," Yuna said for what seemed like the hundredth time, "He wouldn't even talk to me because he had a headache."

Rikku laughed and said, "He sounds kind of like a baby."

"Well, it's his own fault that he had a headache," Yuna said, flipping the page of the magazine she was reading.

"True," Rikku said, leaning against the railing, "But that really shouldn't keep him from coming outside. And that includes his friend. Yesterday when I was leaving your house, his friend was leaving his house as well. Oh my Yevon, Yunie, he was even cuter up close! I don't think he saw me though…"

"He's probably a jerk too."

"I think he was Al Bhed!"

"That doesn't mean he's not a jerk."

"I know that, Yunie!"

Suddenly, a bang was heard, and Rikku instantly turned her attention back to Tidus' house.

"Oh Yevon, there he is!" she cried.

Yuna looked up, and sure enough, Tidus had just exited his house and was apparently texting someone on his cell phone.

"Rikku, if he looks up, he's going to see you standing there like the moron you are."

"I don't even care," Rikku said, leaning forward, "How does a guy get that good looking?"

Yuna shook her head and said, "Remember Rikku, he's a jerk."

Rikku ignored her comment and said, "I mean, how did I never realize how amazing this guy is?"

"Rikku…"

"Oh Yevon, he just looked up here!" Rikku cried, and threw herself down, so that the railing was hiding her.

Yuna's eyes looked up from her magazine again, and sure enough, he was looking straight at her.

Yuna quickly covered her eyes with the magazine again, and said, "Rikku, now he's looking at us!"

Rikku slowly looked up, only to instantly go back down.

"Yeah, he is…" she said.

"Okay, way to act suspicious!" Yuna barked softly at her cousin, "Now he's going to think that I'm looking at him too!"

"Whatever, at least you weren't standing there swooning at him! Yunie, why didn't you tell me how stupid I looked?"

"I tried to!" Yuna said, "Come on, let's just go inside!"

"That'll look even more suspicious!" Rikku cried back to her cousin, "I'll just sit here until he goes back inside…"

Rikku was covering her eyes with her hands, as if she hoped that Tidus couldn't see her—even though he couldn't with the railing in the way—and Yuna was still covering her eyes with the magazine, hoping he didn't think she had been staring at him as well.

"Okay, this is ridiculous," Yuna said, although she didn't put the magazine down, "Maybe you were just looking over at his house."

"Yunie, I was staring at him!"

"Well, maybe you were wondering what he was doing!"

"Anyone could see that I was just texting!"

A male's voice. Rikku and Yuna both froze, and exchanged glances, although they did not emerge from their hiding spots.

"You girls still up there?"

Rikku slowly stood up, and Yuna slowly put her magazine down, and walked over to the edge of the balcony where her cousin was.

Standing straight down from them was Tidus, looking up at them.

"Oh, hi there!" Rikku said, giving him a little wave.

"Hey," Tidus said, just giving them a head-nod.

"Um, how are you?" Rikku asked, her voice cracking as she did so.

"Fine, you?" Tidus asked.

"I'm alright," Rikku answered.

"That's good," Tidus said, "Were you…Watching me by any chance?"

Rikku let out a ditzy laugh and said, "Um…Well, you know…"

"She was," Yuna answered, "Now if you don't mind, we were just leaving."

"Yunie!" Rikku said, but just continued her array of ditzy laughs.

"Oh, I thought maybe we could talk now," Tidus said, "My headache is gone."

"Well, um, mine's not," Yuna said, "So tomorrow will work out fine."

"Alright, suit yourself."

"Okay, see you tomorrow then!" Yuna said, and started toward her house. Rikku just stood there, gawking at Yuna's neighbor below her.

"What's your name?" Tidus asked, obviously directing the question to Rikku.

Yuna walked back up to Rikku and grabbed her arm saying, "We really have to go, Tidus."

"I'm Rikku!" Rikku said though, ignoring her cousin's attempts to drag her off of the balcony.

"Ah, you must be the girl Gippal said he saw yesterday. Are you Al Bhed?"

"Yeah!" Rikku said, although she gasped as she said it, "Your friend Gippal saw me?"

"Yeah, he said you were cute," Tidus said, "Which is true."

Rikku's cheeks flushed and she let out yet another ditzy-sounding-giggle.

"Yevon, come on," Yuna said through clenched teeth.

"You go to Bevelle High?" Tidus asked.

"No, I go to Lady Yunalesca High," Rikku answered.

"Ah…We kicked their asses in blitz."

Rikku giggled and said, "Yeah, we're not very good."

"Come on," Yuna said again.

"Hey, you ever come to one of my parties?" Tidus asked.

"No," Rikku said.

"I'm having one not tonight, but tomorrow night if you want to."

"Um, no you're not," Yuna said, crossing her arms, "We're making a compromise, remember?"

"Yeah, but I already have tomorrow night's party planned, so I have to have that one."

Yuna shook her head and said, "That's a Wednesday night!"

"So."

"So…So you can't! I said weekends!"

"Hey, we haven't discussed anything!" Tidus said, and then turned his attention back to Rikku, "So you going to be there?"

Rikku's smile faded, and she looked between Tidus and Yuna. Obviously she was quite torn at having to make the decision.

Therefore, Yuna made it for her.

"No, she won't be there."

"Yunie!"

"What would your father think?" Yuna asked, shaking her head.

Tidus laughed and said, "I'm sure he wouldn't be too disappointed."

"Do you even have a father?" Yuna asked, shaking her head at him.

"Of course I do," Tidus said, "He lives in Zanarkand though. How about you, do you have a father?"

"Yes," Yuna replied, "But he's away at a summer business meeting in Luca."

Tidus laughed and said, "Then why aren't you a little more wild?"

Yuna was disgusted at the question, so she simply shook her head and said, "I don't need adult supervision to be responsible, Tidus. Unlike you."

"Ah damn, that reminds me," he said, looking behind him, "I really need to get my yard cleaned!"

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number, and then waited before saying, "Hey, yeah, I need my place cleaned again. Yeah, tonight would be good. Okay, the pay will be in the usual spot."

He hung up then and smiled at the girls.

"Anyway," he said, "I'm not interested in making a compromise, I don't care if you call the police, and you, Rikku, should definitely consider going to my party."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I'm not kidding, I'll call the cops."

"Even if your friend Rikku is there."

Yuna looked at Rikku, who had suddenly clamped her mouth shut, as if afraid to speak.

"Yes, I would even if Rikku is there."

"Yunie!"

"Rikku, you can't go to that party!"

Tidus laughed and said, "Don't worry, Rikku, I'll show you a good time."

"Yevon, get lost!" Yuna cried.

"What?" Tidus said, "I can't hear you with all of the wind!"

Yuna rolled her eyes. It was a windless day.

Tidus just laughed and said, "Alright, I'll 'get lost'. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow, Rikku!"

He waved at them and walked away, pulling out his cell phone and calling someone once again.

Yuna just shook her head in disgust, and walked off the balcony, leaving Rikku in a semi-shocked mode.

He was going to be harder to deal with than she had thought.


	3. Can't Get Away

Okay, I think this chapter was even shorter than the last! I must have been lazy when I wrote these...Oh well, it's still a pretty good length! Anyway, I don't really have much to say. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Can't Get Away

"I just can't believe he called me cute!" Rikku said sucking her milkshake up her straw noisily, "I mean, he's cute. And then he called me cute!"

"I get the point," Yuna said, looking at her cousin in annoyance, "He's not that great."

"Oh Yevon, he is too! He's even cuter close up! I've decided that I'm going to borrow a pair of Brother's really good binoculars and spy on him from your balcony. He's so worth it."

"Rikku, you're starting to creep me out," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"You know," Rikku said, ignoring her cousin's last comment, "I really want to see him play blitz. He's apparently amazing."

"I'm really tired of talking about him," Yuna said, and allowed her eyes to look up at the door, only to have her mouth drop, "Speak of the devil…"

The two were in a small little café not far from Yuna's house, and in had just walked Tidus, and his friend, Gippal.

Rikku turned around to see what Yuna was looking at, and her mouth dropped. Of course, Rikku turning around like she had caught Tidus' attention, and he gave what appeared to be an evil smile, and started toward them.

"Yevon," Yuna said, wanting to bang her head on the table, "Why won't he just leave?"

"Hey girls," Tidus said, and Yuna realized he was standing right next to their table, "Mind if we join you?"

"Go ahead!" Rikku said, much to Yuna's dismay. Upon Rikku's agreement, Tidus slid next to her, and Gippal next to Yuna.

"So you're Tidus' neighbor?" Gippal asked Yuna, as Tidus waved down a waitress, "What's your name?"

"Yuna," Yuna just said, wishing she was anywhere but next to him.

"And you're…?" Gippal asked, looking at Rikku.

"Rikku!" Rikku said, and her cheeks were a deep crimson.

"Gip, what kind of beer do you want?" Tidus was asking.

"Are you old enough?" Rikku whispered to Tidus, only to have him flash her a fake I.D., and a very fake one at that. Even so, it fooled the waitress, who returned shortly with two beers.

Yuna leaned her elbow on the table—despite the fact that she knew it was not polite—and leaned her head into her hand. Why was this happening?

"Do you guys come here often too?" Rikku asked, her eyes bright and her cheeks still red.

"Yeah," Gippal answered, "I'm surprised we've never seen each other before."

"We probably have," Tidus said, his full attention turned toward Rikku, "But we just didn't know it."

"Well, you'd met Yunie before, hadn't you?" Rikku asked, giggling slightly.

Tidus' eyes glanced at Yuna, and Yuna glared at him in return.

"Yeah, we've met," Tidus answered, "But that was a while ago…"

Gippal turned to Yuna and said, "Tidus told me you weren't very hot, but I beg to differ."

Yuna's head sank lower onto her chair. How she wanted to punch him, or something.

"So did you decide if you'll come to my party or not?" Tidus asked Rikku.

"Well, I…"

"The answer is no, Tidus," Yuna said, giving him a death glare.

"Well, not necessarily…" Rikku said.

"I'm sorry you guys, but we have no interest in you," Yuna said, sitting up straight and throwing them both a sweet smile.

"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly…" Rikku said, giving Yuna a look that said, "What are you doing?"

Tidus and Gippal exchanged glances and Tidus leaned back and gave Yuna a challenging look.

"You know, people have been asking me why I don't just combine our homes so we can have a massive party, Yuna. I keep telling them that you wouldn't go for that."

"Which I wouldn't," Yuna said, still smiling sweetly.

"Well, how's this for a compromise," Tidus said, smiling sweetly as well, "We'll combine our places to host the hugest party Bevelle's ever seen. And then, I'll stop partying altogether."

"Really?" Rikku cried, facing Tidus.

"Really," he said, nodding.

"I don't believe you," Yuna said.

"Every time I have a party," Tidus said, continuing to explain, "I have to out-do my last one. Nothing could out-do a party with both of our yards included. So I won't ever be able to have a party again anyway."

"I don't think I can do that," Yuna replied.

"It'll just be one night!" Tidus said, "It's not that big of a deal."

"Think about the mess!" Yuna argued.

"I have people who clean," Tidus said with a shrug, "Check out my yard when you get home and you'll notice it's spotless."

"I think it sounds like a cool plan!" Rikku said, nodding to her cousin.

"If my father finds out…"

"You said he's in Luca. How will he find out?" Tidus interrupted her.

Yuna shook her head and said, "I don't know. But he could."

"Yuna's dad is pretty strict," Rikku said, agreeing with her cousin.

"So is Gip's. That doesn't stop him from partying."

Gippal nodded in agreement.

"My answer is no," Yuna said.

"Fine, then I'm going to keep having parties."

"Then I'll call the cops."

Tidus laughed and said, "Yuna, allow me to let you in on something."

"What?"

"I'm Tidus. I'm a blitz ace. The police aren't going to do anything but slap me on the hand and tell me to never drink again. They've already caught me numerous times."

"It's true," Gippal said, nodding.

"Yeah, and Gip knows," Tidus continued, "Because he was there when we were caught."

"Yeah, and I wasn't so lucky," Gippal said, shaking his head, "I still got in trouble."

With smiles on their faces, the two took a gulp of their beers and then shook their heads, as if drinking to the memory.

"You know, it's been great talking to you guys and all," Yuna said then, "But we should really get going…"

"We've only been here for like fifteen minutes!" Rikku moaned.

"Yeah, what's the hurry?" Tidus asked with a shrug.

"I have things I need to do," Yuna said through clenched teeth. The worst thing was that she had ridden with Rikku.

Tidus opened his mouth to say something, but a ring tone—a very loud and annoying one—suddenly soared into the air, causing Tidus to shuffle a bit, and then answer his phone.

"Hey? Oh, hey. Yeah, I know. Oh really? That's awesome. Oh. That sucks. Yeah, I'm a little busy right now. Swimming, duh. Yeah. Bye," Tidus looked up at Gippal and rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, whatever, love you too."

Then, with a click, Tidus slid his phone back in his pocket.

"Was that you-know-who?" Gippal asked.

"Hell yeah," Tidus said, but he didn't sound happy, "She made the cheer squad in Kilika, so she'll be gone for the rest of the summer!"

"Alright!" Gippal said, and he and Tidus high-fived each other across the table, while the girls exchanged looks of confusion.

"So anyway," Tidus said then, resting his arm up on the booth so that it was almost as if his arm was around Rikku, "I'm having a party tomorrow night, and you're both invited…"

Rikku blushed an even deeper shade of red and Yuna just continued to give Tidus a death glare.

"We know you're having a party," Yuna said, "And the cops will be showing up."

Tidus looked at Yuna thoughtfully, and he smiled and said, "Have you ever been to a party, Yuna?"

"No," came Yuna's reply, almost instantly.

"How about you, Rikku?" Tidus asked.

Rikku looked at the table, and said, "No."

"So why are you guys so against them?" Tidus asked, looking shocked, "You don't even know what it's like!"

"Yeah," Gippal said, "There's a reason people party, you know. It's fun."

Yuna shook her head and shrugged, saying, "I have never cared to attend one."

"How are you going to survive college?" Tidus asked, shaking his head.

"I'll find a way," Yuna said surely.

"Just try it out," Tidus said, "You don't have to drink or anything."

"That's true, Yunie!" Rikku said, as if it was only the idea of drinking that was keeping Yuna from it.

Tidus smiled at Rikku and nodded, as if agreeing, although she had technically agreed with him.

"Just try it out," Tidus said, "I promise it'll be fun."

Rikku looked imploringly at Yuna, but Yuna just shook her head.

Tidus just smiled and shook his own head, and said, "Well, Gip and I were actually on our way to open blitz over at the arena, so I guess I'll see you two later…Maybe as in tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, maybe!" Rikku answered before Yuna could say anything.

Tidus gave Rikku the most flirtatious look that Yuna figured he could manage, and he said, "Good, I really hope to see you there."

Gippal looked at Yuna, but then laughed and said, "We'd better get going. We're gonna be late."

"See you two later!" Tidus said again, and the two left, laughing as they did so.

-

"Yevon that Yuna's a tough one to break!" Gippal moaned as they crawled into Tidus' car.

"Hell yeah, that's why I called Rikku. She'll break soon enough. Yuna's the only one holding her back," Tidus said, looking at himself quickly in his rearview mirror.

"Damn, you're the womanizer! You go for Yuna! Give me Rikku!" Gippal said, as he took his own time to admire himself in the mirror.

"Nope," Tidus said, "She's too hard to read. I'm not in the mood for a challenge."

"Me neither."

"Then forget about her."

"Yeah, but she's hot," Gippal said, "You're crazy if you don't want her."

"Well, I want her," Tidus said, "But I don't want the challenge. Rikku's a good catch, and she's way easier."

Gippal looked at the ground and said, "You know, if you sleep with Rikku, then she's off limits for me."

"Whoa, who said anything about sleeping with her?" Tidus asked, and he looked at his friend as if he was crazy, "I just want to mess around. Yuna would kill us if we did anything serious with Rikku!"

"So what do you want exactly then?" Gippal asked, giving his friend a side-ways glance.

"I want her to choose me over Yuna," Tidus said, a smile creeping onto his lips, "That's all I want."

"I see," Gippal said, "That's a rather evil plan, Ti."

Tidus laughed and said, "I know."

"So you want to break up these two friends?"

Tidus laughed again and said, "It's not Rikku I want."

"No way, Tidus!" Gippal said.

Tidus laughed and said, "I want to break innocent little Yunie."

"I thought you just said you didn't want a challenge!" Gippal cried.

"Okay, I don't want her, necessarily," Tidus said, "I just want to see the look on her face when Rikku would rather be with me than her. That's all."

"I get it," Gippal said, "You're in the mood to be a rotten son-of-a-bitch."

"Hey, I am a son-of-a-bitch," Tidus just said, his smile growing wider.

"You are such an ass!" Gippal cried, laughing.

"That I am," Tidus said, nodding, "That I am."

-

"Okay Yunie, just one party. We'll just check it out!" Rikku said as the two arrived back at Yuna's house.

"Rikku, you've never wanted to party before!" Yuna cried, "If you want to hang out with Tidus, I'm sure you can do so without going to one of his parties! Besides, he's dangerous! Can't you tell? He has a girlfriend, Rikku!"

Rikku looked at the ground, and she said, "You're right…He does."

"He's a jerk," Yuna continued, "The only person he has interest in is you, and the same with Gippal."

"You think they have interest in me?" Rikku asked, her eyes shining.

"No, they just know that you're an easy prey," Yuna said, although she knew she was being harsh with her cousin.

Rikku's eyes met the ground one more time.

"Look Rikku, I don't mean to be harsh," Yuna said, feeling somewhat bad for what she had just said, "But I don't want you to do something stupid because he's good-looking, alright? I can't deny that he's good-looking. He is. He's incredible. But we have to be realistic."

"No, you're right Yunie," Rikku said, "He's just playing with me, and I know it."

"We can still have a great summer," Yuna said, "How about we go to the beach tomorrow? And don't forget that we're heading off to Besaid in a month!"

Rikku brightened and said, "You're right! I don't need Tidus. Although, I'm not going to lie, I still really want to look at him…"

Yuna laughed and said, "Fine, I'll allow you to look at him. Just make sure he doesn't see you this time."

-

"Dude, that was hardcore!" Gippal said as soon as the two were back in Tidus' car.

"Yeah it was!" Tidus agreed, "One of the better matches we've had all summer!"

"And the summer's still young!" Gippal put in, "Hey, what are you planning on doing tonight if you're not having a party?"

"Watching the Zanarkand game. You?"

"I guess we're going out to dinner or something. Dad got a promotion, so we're celebrating."

"Sounds cool," Tidus said, "Where you going?"

"That little restaurant down from the blitz stadium."

"That's my favorite!" Tidus put in.

"Mine too," Gippal agreed, "So you're just hanging out?"

"Yeah."

"I guess there's not much you can do, since Dona will be gone. How long is she gone for anyway?"

"A couple of weeks, thank Yevon!" Tidus said, "She's so annoying."

"Why do you keep her around then?"

Tidus shrugged and said, "She's good in bed."

"You're such a whore."

"No, she's the whore," Tidus said, shaking his head, "Do you know how many times already this summer I've caught her with another guy in my bed?"

"As many times as she's caught you with another women?"

Tidus laughed and said, "No. I'd say I've caught her with someone else at least three more times than she's caught me."

"So you have a cheating kind of relationship, I already knew that," Gippal said, "So you plan on cheating on her while she's gone?"

"Uh, yeah," Tidus said, as if it was the most obvious thing, "Actually, I plan on dumping her."

"About time," Gippal said, just as the pulled into his driveway.

"I'll see you tomorrow night!" Tidus said.

"Yeah. Hey, you think Rikku and Yuna will show?"

"I know they will," came Tidus' reply, "I'll work on 'em a little more just to be sure though…"

Gippal laughed and said, "Have fun, man."

"You too."

With that, Tidus started toward his own house.


	4. Pool

Yay, chapter 4! I had fun writing this chapter, actually, although I wrote it quite some time ago now! Haha, I'm currently on Chapter 10 and moving rather slow, but I'm still full of ideas. I'm not sure how this is going to end though, but I'll figure it out eventually. Oh, and Gackt's new single is out tomorrow! Yay! Haha, enjoy!

Chapter 4: Pool

Yuna was just finishing a chapter in her book when she noticed that Tidus' lights flicked on. Usually she wouldn't take notice in such a thing, but she didn't normally get the chance.

The night was peaceful for once, without Tidus' parties getting in the way. She could sit out on her balcony, sip tea, and read in peace.

Without meaning to, exactly, she looked at the time. It was going on eleven o'clock, and really, she had been planning on going to bed as soon as she finished the chapter she was on, which explained why she stuck her bookmark in her book and stood up and stretched.

She turned her lights on the balcony off, and she noticed that Tidus' inside house lights flicked off at the exact same time. Then, his outdoor lights turned on, and she heard the slam of his sliding door.

She looked onto his deck, just in time to see him marching toward his pool, with his towel flung carelessly over his shoulder.

She watched him as he threw his towel onto the ground and then dove into his pool. Yuna rolled her eyes at him, and started into her house. She walked in and shut the door, and started toward her room, only to stop.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, music began to blare.

Yuna marched back to the balcony, just in time to see Tidus dive back into his pool. His speakers were blaring, as if there was a party, although there was none.

Growing angry, Yuna marched over to the railing, and yelled his name at the top of her lungs. Of course he didn't hear her through the noise his speakers were making.

"That's it, I'm going to march over there and unplug them!" Yuna cried and she stomped back into her house, out the side door, and across her lawn toward Tidus'.

She reached his yard and crossed her arms, and wore a very annoyed expression. Slowly, she approached the pool area, where Tidus was now swimming laps.

She stood by the edge of the pool with her arms crossed, and waited for him to notice her. She hoped he would notice her quickly, for the blaring music was almost too much to take.

It didn't take him long to notice her standing there.

"Hey Yuna!" he greeted her, loudly of course, to make sure he was heard over the music, "What are you doing here?"

"Can you turn down your music?" she asked him, deciding to at least try to be nice about it, despite the fact that she was horridly annoyed.

"What?" he yelled back at her.

"Can you turn down your music?" she repeated, yelling this time.

"My music?"

"Yes!"

"Sure!" Tidus said, and he swam to the other side of the pool, quickly dried his hands, and turned his music completely off. Yuna was shocked at how much quieter it really was without his music. It was almost as if the world had just died.

"Sorry about that," he said, and he jumped back in the pool, "I like to be able to hear it while I swim."

"That's understandable," Yuna said, although she wasn't sure if it really was, "Thanks for turning it off. I'm off to bed now." She froze. Should she have told him that?

"That explains the nightgown," he said, and he floated onto his back.

Yuna looked down and realized that she was indeed in her nightgown—a short and stylish summer nightgown—and flip-flops. She had honestly forgotten.

"Well, thanks for being understanding," Yuna said and turned around to head back to her house.

"Hey, wait!" Tidus called after her, causing her to stop, "Wanna go for a swim?"

"Um, I have my own pool for that," Yuna said, attempting to give him a nice smile.

He swam over to the edge closest to her and leaned on it, saying, "Aw, come on. You never use your pool anyway. Plus, mine's bigger."

"Is not," Yuna said, "They're the same size."

"Yeah, but mine has a Jacuzzi on the island!"

It was true. Yuna didn't see the point of having a Jacuzzi that was only accessible by swimming through the pool.

Yuna just shook her head and said, "I'm all ready for bed. I'm not going to get my swimsuit on."

"Just swim in that then," Tidus said, smiling at her.

Yuna just shook her head.

"Fine, suit yourself," Tidus said, and Yuna realized how intent his gaze was on her.

"I…I should go," Yuna said, slowly. It was true. She needed to leave.

Tidus gave her what appeared to be a thoughtful smile, and he said, "How come we've never really seen more of each other in the past?"

"Well, you decided I wasn't 'hot' enough for you, remember?" Yuna said, not meaning to sound bitter.

"Right," Tidus said, "But we still should have seen each other, right? We live right next door…"

Yuna shrugged and said, "Aren't you usually at blitzball camp around this time."

"Yeah, I guess," Tidus said, and he laughed, saying, "I bet you wish I was there right now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Yuna said, throwing him a sweet smile.

He smiled sweetly back at her and said, "Well, I'm not leaving until August!"

"Great," Yuna said, her smile fading and her voice full of sarcasm.

Tidus leaned further on the ledge of his pool and said, "You know, I have morals, more than you seem to think."

Yuna snickered beside herself, and said, "Well, you certainly fooled me."

"I'm really a nice guy," Tidus continued.

"Wow, you really fooled me," Yuna said again.

"Well Yuna, why do you think I'm a jerk?" he asked then.

Yuna sighed and found herself sitting down, just about a foot away from him.

"Perhaps," she said, "I decided you were a jerk two years ago when you told me flat-out that you removed anything blocking your view from my window because you thought I was hot, only to discover that I wasn't hot. Perhaps it's the fact that while I try to read, you and your friend Gippal yell obscenities at each other and you pretty much have sex with your girlfriend right in front of my eyes. Perhaps it's the fact that you party every single night with no care whatsoever as to how I'm sleeping. Perhaps it's the fact that you won't even compromise with me about your partying habit."

Tidus shrugged and said, "Fine. You want to compromise?"

"Yes," Yuna said, nodding.

"Swim with me, and then we'll talk." He gave her a challenging smile, and then floated onto his back again.

"No," Yuna said.

"Fine, come to my party tomorrow and then we'll talk."

"No."

"Alright, throw a party with me, and we'll definitely talk."

"No."

Tidus stood up and walked back over to the ledge.

"Why don't you want to compromise?" he asked.

"I'm asking you to just throw parties on the weekends. Is that so hard?" Yuna asked.

"That's not a compromise! What do I get out of it?"

"What do you get out of it if I swim with you?" Yuna asked, shaking her head.

"I get to see you in a bikini."

Yuna wanted to hit him.

"You're a pervert," she said, standing up, "And besides, I don't wear bikinis."

"You do too," Tidus said, "I saw you sunbathing yourself not too long ago."

"You spy on me?"

"Not any more than you spy on me."

"I don't spy on you!"

"Then why were Rikku and you looking at me the other day?"

"That was Rikku's doing!"

"Sure it was."

"Whatever, I'm going to bed!" Yuna said, and started off again.

"Alright, but I'm just going to turn my music back on," Tidus said, giving her yet another challenging smile.

Yuna stopped and faced him, and said, "Why can't you just be a normal, considerate neighbor?"

"I am a normal, considerate neighbor!" Tidus said, "But I have to think of myself before you!"

"Ah, so you're a normal, considerate, selfish neighbor," Yuna said, "What would your father think?"

"He'd be proud of me," Tidus said, but Yuna noticed instantly that she hit a soft spot with him. His challenging smirk had disappeared from his face, and he almost appeared hurt, as if she had hit him.

"Sure he would," Yuna said sarcastically, "Anyway, I'll be here bright and early to discuss a real and non-perverted compromise tomorrow morning, just like you asked me to do this morning."

"Whoa, I'm done coming up with compromises!" Tidus said, "I've tried three times now to come up with a compromise, and you've turned them all down."

"That's because they're all compromises that I simply cannot partake in!" Yuna said, "And you don't want me to break my word now, do you?"

Tidus leaned against the ledge again and said, "I guess not."

"Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow!" Yuna said, and she smiled at him, and started away.

"Yuna!" Tidus called after her, causing her to give an annoyed sigh.

"Yes Tidus?" she asked, attempting to make her voice sound sweet.

He smiled serenely and said, "Good night."

"Good night," Yuna said, in a very annoyed tone.

"Oh, and Yuna!" he called after her again, "I think your friend Rikku really wants to come to my party. Is it really fair to hold her back?"

"I did some talking with her, Tidus, and she has no care to go to your party."

Tidus let out a laugh and he said, "Really now? What did you tell her?"

"I reminded her that you were fake and untrustworthy."

Tidus laughed again and said, "You think that will stop her from wanting to see me?"

"Yes, I do," Yuna said, "Now goodnight, Tidus. I suggest you go to bed too."

"Alright, new compromise," Tidus said, "It's lonely here, so how about you come sleep with me."

Yuna ignored him and started to walk away.

"Hey, I don't mean like that!" he called after her, "It's just that it's been a while since I've been without a girl in my bed."

Yuna continued to ignore him, and was getting further and further away from him.

"Alright, suit yourself!" she finally heard him call after her, "I'll see you in the morning!"

It wasn't long before Yuna reached her house, which she entered, and went straight to bed, attempting to get her blonde neighbor out of her head.

Especially since he was just making her upset.

-

Tidus stomped into his house still dripping wet. He threw his towel over a chair and went into his kitchen, which was surprisingly neat. He figured his maid must have been in.

He quickly dried his hands on a towel and reached in a cupboard, revealing a brand new phone book that had never been used before except for occasional calls to order pizza.

Humming softly to himself, he quickly looked up and number, grabbed his phone, and dialed.

The phone rung for some time, before he finally heard a slightly groggy, "Hello?"

"Hello Yuna!" Tidus said, a smile creeping across his lips, "I take it you were sleeping?"

There was silence, before she finally asked, "Is this Tidus?"

"Yes it is," he said, leaning against the counter.

"Why are you calling me?"

"I was wondering if you could give me Rikku's number," Tidus said, "I'd like to call her."

There was a pause, before Yuna said, "Tidus, it's midnight. And I'm not giving you her number."

"Alright, I can find it out myself…"

"How'd you get my number?"

"I looked it up."

"Then look her number up."

"I want her cell phone number."

"Go to sleep, Tidus."

"Not until you give me her number."

"I'm just going to hang up on you."

"I'll just call again."

"I'll just unplug my phone."

Tidus laughed and said, "Wouldn't it just be easier to give me her number?"

"Why, so you can call her and convince her to come to your party?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, nodding despite the fact that Yuna couldn't see him, "I really want her to come."

"Why?" Yuna asked, her voice sounding less groggy by the second.

"I don't know," Tidus said, shrugging, "She's cute."

"My answer is no. Now goodnight, Tidus."

"Alright," Tidus said, "Goodnight, Yuna."

She hung up then, and Tidus leaned further against the counter.

"Okay," he mused softly to himself, "Be like that. I'll get her number some way…"

With that, he decided to call it an early night, and he went to bed.

-

Yuna wasted no time the next morning. She got dressed, and made her way to Tidus' door, and rang the doorbell once, and then twice. She figured he was still sleeping, but she didn't care. She rang it again.

Soon enough, Tidus came and answered the door, looking as groggy and sleepy as he had the day before.

"Can't you come back later?" he asked, not coming out the door.

"Nope. We'll discuss it right here and right now," Yuna said, crossing her arms, "I rather enjoyed last night—well, almost did, had you not interrupted it with your loud music—and I'd like to keep it that way."

"You already turned down all of my ideas for compromise," Tidus said, and he walked outside.

"Yevon, get some clothes on!" Yuna said, as Tidus emerged wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What?" he said, shrugging, "What's the big deal."

Yuna shook her head and said, "Go get dressed, and that includes wearing a shirt, and then we'll talk."

"Wanna come in?" Tidus just asked, ignoring her comment.

"No. Just…Why can't you be halfway normal?" Yuna cries, exasperated.

"I am normal. I'm just lazy. I sleep nude, you know."

"I don't need to know that," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I was too lazy to throw shorts on."

Yuna just rolled her eyes again and said, "Look Tidus, I don't know if you know this or not, but I am a very busy person. So, I need to get up early every morning."

"Why?"

"Because. Unlike you, I have things I need to do each day. So, I'd like to get some sleep. I'm tired of not being able to sleep because of the noise from you parties."

"Why don't you just come then?"

"I'm not interested in coming!"

"Oh, that reminds me…" Tidus said, and he began to glance around Yuna, as if looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Yuna asked.

To answer her, Tidus suddenly took his left arm and wrapped it around her, holding her arms to her side. Then, he took his right arm and reached into her back pocket, taking her cell phone from it.

"Hey!" Yuna cried, "Let me go."

Although he was just holding her with his arm, his grip was quite tight, and Yuna found herself unable to break from it.

Tidus meanwhile flipped open her phone and went through her contacts, and seemed to be trying to memorize something, before he flipped the phone shut and slid it back in her pocket.

He let her go then, and she staggered away from him, glaring deeply at him.

"What was that for?" she asked, brushing herself off.

"It's a blitz move," Tidus said, "It's a way to hold someone without getting a penalty." He then pulled out his phone, and typed something into it.

"Thanks for Rikku's number," he said, then, and snapped his phone closed, and tucked it into his back pocket, "I didn't think you'd be the type to carry your phone around in your back pocket, but you proved me wrong."

"Can't I file harassment charges against you or something?" Yuna asked, and she crossed her arms and continued to glare at him.

"I guess you could try," Tidus said, shrugging, "So anyway, a compromise…?"

"Forget this compromise stuff!" Yuna said, "You are only throwing parties on the weekends, and that's it."

"Nope, can't do that," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"Then I'll call the cops," Yuna said, but Tidus was no longer listening. He pulled his phone back out and began to text someone.

"Hey, listen to me!" Yuna cried, but it was no use.

"How's this?" Tidus asked, and showed his phone screen to Yuna. Yuna backed away from it and skimmed it quickly, and noticed that it read, "Hey, it's Tidus. Just wanted to know if you were coming or not" and there was a cute little smile face after it.

"Is that to Rikku?" Yuna asked, annoyed, "She's just going to text back that she's not interested.

"Well, we'll see about that," Tidus said, and he pushed the send button, "Sorry, what were you talking about?"

"Tidus, stay away from Rikku," Yuna said, "She's my younger cousin, and she's like a sister to me. I'm not going to let you take advantage of her."

Tidus gave Yuna a blank look, and he said, "Take advantage of her…? What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb," Yuna said, "I don't know what you want with my cousin, but I suggest you leave her alone."

"Ah, how cute. A protective older cousin," Tidus just mused, "Anyway, if you don't mind, I need to hop in the shower. I'm heading over to open blitz in about an hour and then I have to get ready for the party. See, I'm a busy guy too."

Yuna simply shook her head and said, "Well, as long as you don't mind the cops showing up tonight…"

Tidus closed his eyes and shook his head, and said, "Yuna, all I'm asking is that you come to one party."

"Why do you care if I come or not?" Yuna asked.

"Because, I don't think you've realized how fun it is. Just relax, and let yourself go. It's fun."

"I don't think it's fun to get drunk and act like an idiot."

"You don't have to drink," Tidus said, "Sometimes I don't drink."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's the truth!" Tidus said surely, "Tonight, I probably won't drink. Come, and I'll prove it to you."

"I refuse."

"Yuna, look, I need to out-do myself. If we could just combine our yards and houses, I would throw the biggest damn party Bevelle has ever seen. And then I swear, I'd have to stop. Think about it Yuna…One night of nothing but fun. What could it hurt?"

"A lot," Yuna said, "I don't believe in giving in to peer pressure, Tidus."

"It's a compromise, Yuna, not peer pressure. Anyway, I have to go. You keep thinking on it, alright? And if you still don't want to party, I go swimming every night I don't party." He laughed and walked back into his house, before Yuna could say anything.

Yuna stood there for some time, debating on what she should do. Finally, she gave a sigh of defeat, and started back toward her own house.


	5. Rikku

OMG, I totally almost forgot that it was time to update this. This chapter is by far the longest, too! I don't really have much to say, so, enjoy!

Chapter 5: Rikku

Tidus held his door open with his foot to allow Gippal to enter his house first, and then followed. Both of them had their arms filled with bags, which they quickly dumped on Tidus' kitchen counter.

"Yeah, this party will totally be cooler than the last party," Gippal said, nodding at the amount of groceries and alcoholic beverages they had bought.

"Definitely," Tidus agreed, only to suddenly jump as he felt his vibrating cell phone in his pocket.

He pulled it out and smiled.

"Hey Gip, get a load of this," he said, "Tidus, I'll try to make it to your party tonight, but I can't promise I'll be there. I really want to go though!"

"Who's it from?" Gippal asked.

"Rikku," Tidus said, "Should I call her back?"

"Rikku?" Gippal just said, "How'd you get her number?"

"Yuna gave it to me," Tidus said, "So, do I call her back?"

"Ti, I really don't think we should mess with them," Gippal said, looking at the ground, "It's not nice."

"Since when have you cared about nice?" Tidus asked, looking at his friend, "I'm already getting to Yuna. She came over last night, you know."

"Yeah right," Gippal said.

"I'm serious, Gip," Tidus just said, still gazing at the text he had received, "She came over here to tell me to turn my music down."

"You're an ass."

"Shh," Tidus said, hushing his friend, "I'm gonna call her."

Gippal shook his head, and Tidus couldn't help but notice that Gippal didn't appear happy with him at all.

Tidus gave Gippal a "What?" kind of look, but then turned back to his phone as he heard a female voice say, "Hello?"

"Hey, Rikku?" Tidus said.

"Yeah! Is this…Tidus?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, although he couldn't take his eyes off of Gippal who was giving him a very dirty look, "I was just wondering if you were coming tonight."

"Um… I really want to and stuff, but you know how Yunie feels about that kind of stuff."

Tidus laughed and said, "Well, you're number one on the guest list, so if you don't show, I'm going to be kind of disappointed."

Rikku didn't say anything to that, so Tidus continued, "I actually talked to Yuna today. I think she's getting more used to the fact that my parties aren't as bad as she seemed to think."

"Really? I haven't been able to talk to her all day. She volunteers at the library."

"Oh," Tidus said, deciding to pretend to be interested, "She told me she was a really busy person."

"Yeah," Rikku said, "She takes pride in the fact that she's so well-behaved despite the fact that she's always home alone."

"Ah," Tidus said, "Well, I can assure you, my parties are totally PG-rated, except for a few crazy drunks here and there. But you know, Gippal and I don't even drink half the time!"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "Well, I gotta keep getting ready for the party, and I just really wanted to let you know that Gip and I hope to see you here."

"Okay," Rikku said, "I'll try to come."

"Great," Tidus said, "See you tonight then, maybe."

"Yeah, maybe. Bye."

"Bye."

Tidus hung up, and Gippal said, "What'd she say?"

"Gip, what's up with the glare?" Tidus just asked, as he stuck his phone back in his pocket, "You gave me the same death glare that Yuna gives me."

"I don't think you should mess with them. I already told you."

"You afraid of Yuna? She hates me, not you."

"I'm not afraid of Yuna," Gippal said, "What'd Rikku say?"

"She said she'll try to come. She doesn't want to disappoint Yuna."

With that said, Tidus flipped out his phone again.

"What are you doing now?" Gippal asked.

"Texting Rikku. How's this sound: Rikku, just wanted to tell you again how much I really hope to see you at my party tonight. I think you'll really have fun. Besides, you don't want to make me sad, do you?"

"Give it a rest, Tidus," Gippal said, "Do you like her or something? Because if you do, maybe I can let you do this. But if you're just playing her, I have to draw the line. She's naïve and innocent, Tidus! Not like the club girls you usually go for!"

"Gip, Gip, Gip!" Tidus said, shaking his head, as he hit the send button, "Relax. I already told you. I just want Yuna to get mad."

"Why are you so interested in making Yuna get mad? You said she was too much of a challenge."

"Gip, I did some thinking," Tidus said, then, as he stuck his phone in his pocket one more time, "And I decided that I have the entire summer. So maybe I need a challenge."

"So you're using Rikku to get to Yuna?" Gippal asked, "I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" Tidus asked, shaking his head at his friend, "It'll be fine. I promise that no one will get hurt."

"You can't toy with these girls," Gippal said, "They'll be crushed."

"Relax," Tidus said again, "Do you need a beer or something."

"No thank you," Gippal just said, "When does the party start, anyway?"

"Any second now," came Tidus' response, "Any second now…"

Sure enough, people started to come. As always, the party practically started instantly, and people just made themselves at home, and the party began.

-

Yuna tried calling again, but there was still no answer.

"That's odd," Yuna mused to herself, as she stuck her bookmark back in her book, "Why isn't she answering?"

She was of course trying to call Rikku, but Rikku had yet to answer.

Yuna looked at her phone as if it was the phone's fault that Rikku wasn't answering, and then suddenly jumped as she heard a large noise, and realized that it was the music starting next door, signaling that Tidus' party had started.

"Just what I need…" she said, and she stood up. She walked over to her balcony and looked across at the people who were running outside, hooting and hollering.

"Why can't they just be quiet?" she asked herself, as she leaned her head on the railing. It was going to be another long, loud night.

-

Tidus stood by the entrance of his house with a satisfied smile across his lips.

"How much you wanna bet that she comes?" Tidus asked his friend.

"Rikku?"

"Yeah."

"I bet ten gil she doesn't show."

"Cheap ass."

"Hey, it's more hopeful," Gippal said, "I really think you should just leave her alone."

Tidus gave his friend a suspicious look, and he said, "Gip, you want her to come, don't deny it."

"I'm not going to deny it," Gippal said, "But I don't think I can just watch you walk all over her."

"Why not?"

Gippal didn't say anything. He just shook his head and said, "I need a beer."

"It's not drinking night," Tidus said, "Remember?"

"I don't care. I need a beer."

"Fine, go ahead," Tidus said, and then he smiled and said, "Look who's coming to the door!"

Gippal turned around to look, and sure enough, there came an incredibly nervous looking Rikku.

"Damn you, Tidus," Gippal said, shaking his head.

"I'm too good," Tidus said, laughing, "Hand over my ten gil!"

"Not yet," Gippal said, shaking his head.

Rikku came into Tidus' house then, and her eyes darted nervously from side-to-side, until she saw Gippal and Tidus.

"Hey, you made it!" Tidus said, walking away from Gippal, who looked at the ground.

"Yeah!" Rikku said, "But I don't think I know anybody here…"

"Me neither!" Tidus said, although he did know a few people, "I'm sure you'll meet some of them though."

Rikku gave him a smile, and then looked behind him at Gippal, and said, "Yeah, so far I only recognize Gippal and you!"

Tidus laughed and said, "Hey, is Yuna going to show?"

Rikku bit her lip nervously and said, "I doubt it. Um…Don't tell her I came, alright?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Alright, I won't tell her. But hey, you gotta stop letting her hold you back from having fun! Come out back, that's where the real party is!"

He led her through his house and out to the backyard, the yard that Rikku had been spying on just days before.

"Um," Rikku said, "What if Yunie sees me?"

"Don't worry about it!" Tidus said, "Wanna dance?"

Gippal followed the two out there, only to stop as he saw Tidus leading Rikku onto what had become the dance floor.

Coincidentally—or not coincidentally, as Gippal knew—a slow song began to play. Tidus gave Rikku a shrug, as if to say that while they were out there, they may as well dance, and then the two began to dance rather close, but not as close as Tidus usually danced with the girls.

Tidus had it all worked out. He just gave the DJ a head nod, and the DJ threw on a nice, slow song. Despite his attempts to get rid of the feelings, Gippal couldn't help but feel…Well, jealous. Why, he didn't know. He'd never been jealous of one of Tidus' girls before.

Dancing just a ways away from Gippal, Tidus looked at his friend, and gave him a quizzical look.

"Can you excuse me for a minute?" he said softly by Rikku's ear.

She nodded, and stepped away from him, her eyes large and round, as if she was very unsure of what she was doing.

Tidus threw on an unhappy look, and marched up to his friend.

"What is wrong with you, Gip?" he asked his friend, "Do you want to dance with Rikku or something?"

Gippal swallowed and said, "Tidus, I asked my dad about her. It turns out that Rikku's grandma and my grandma were best friends in school. Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, although he wasn't going to act interested, "So that gives you reason to stand there shooting me death glares while I dance with her?"

"I don't think you should mess with her," Gippal said again, crossing his arms, "It's not right, and Rikku's like…"

"Like what? You barely know her!"

"Look, you really wanna know?" Gippal asked then, "I kind of like her."

Tidus laughed, and said, "You kind of like her?"

"Yeah. It's weird Tidus, but I can't get her off of my mind! Ever since that time I saw her leaving Yuna's house, I haven't been able to get her off my mind. And now this stuff about our grandmas…I just…I like her, Tidus. It really bothers me to see you play with her, while I stand here and watch."

Tidus laughed and said, "Whoa Gip, if you really like her, you can have her. Why didn't you just tell me earlier?"

Gippal shrugged, and said, "I thought you'd make fun of me."

Tidus laughed again and said, "Dude, I'm still going to make fun of you. But you know I don't mean it. Look at her stand there all alone. Go ask her to dance!"

"She obviously likes you," Gippal said, looking at the ground.

Again, Tidus laughed, and he said, "Dude, she doesn't _know_ me."

It was Gippal's turn to laugh, and he said, "You're way too right."

"Go ahead, she's all yours," Tidus said, "But now that I have no goals for the party, I have a feeling it's gonna be pretty boring."

Gippal laughed and said, "There are a ton of girls here worth playing. Go for one of them."

"Right," Tidus said, and he gave his friend a girly little wave, "Goodbye Gip! Good luck!"

He winked then, and slipped into the crowd, leaving Gippal to himself.

Tidus wandered back toward his house and turned around to look at his party. Gippal had walked up to Rikku, and although they stood in the middle of the dance floor, they didn't dance. Instead, they stood there and talked, and it seemed as if Gippal had said something funny, for Rikku was laughing.

"Yevon, he better not actually fall for her," Tidus mused to himself, "What a long and boring summer this will be if he spends all his time with her."

Suddenly finding himself feeling down, Tidus took a seat on the step to his deck, and leaned his head into his hands. If Gippal and Rikku hooked up, his nights would probably be just like this one was—him sitting there, staring at them.

Tidus shook his head. So Rikku was out of the question. That wasn't that big of a deal. He never was planning on doing anything with her anyway. He just wanted to irk Yuna, since she was definitely irking him.

Thinking of Yuna, Tidus found himself turn his head toward her house, just in time to see her walk out onto her balcony and shake her head in disgust.

Smiling to himself, Tidus jumped up, and quickly darted to her house—just out of her sight—and around the corner to where the balcony was.

He looked up, but Yuna was no where in sight. Slowly he began to back up, until he was far enough away from her balcony that he could see her. She wasn't looking at him, but instead past him a ways.

Taking a deep breath, Tidus walked into the moonlit area in front of Yuna's balcony and said, "Hey there, Yuna!"

Yuna looked down at him and appeared quite shocked to see him, but she regained herself and said, "What are you doing down there? Don't you have a party going on?"

"What?" Tidus asked, "I can't hear you over the music!"

"Go turn it down then!" Yuna cried, and she started toward the door.

"Wait!" Tidus cried up to her, "Can we talk about something?"

"No," came Yuna's response, "You can't hear me, remember?"

"I know!" Tidus yelled, being sure to be extra loud, "So can I come up there?"

"No," came Yuna's response.

"Aw, come on!" Tidus cried, "If you don't let me up there, I'll just climb!"

"You're going to climb my balcony?" Yuna looked skeptical.

"Sure, why not?" Tidus said, and to prove his point, he jumped and managed to cling onto a windowsill. He pulled himself up it, and then jumped to the one right above it. Yuna watched him with a look of disbelief spread across her face. Eventually Tidus made it to her, and he climbed up, with a sheepish smile across his face.

"Told you I could!" he said as he swung himself around and onto her balcony.

"I cannot believe you just did that," she said, and she did not seem happy at all to see him on her balcony.

Tidus shrugged and said, "It wasn't hard."

"Get off," Yuna said in response, "I'm going to attempt to go to bed."

"Great, that's where I was hoping we'd head!" Tidus said, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Get off," Yuna said again, slower and louder this time, as if Tidus simply hadn't heard.

"Now Yuna," Tidus said, "I just wanted to come and have a little chat with you, you know, about this whole party deal. It is really loud here, isn't it? I can't believe how well my music travels!"

"What's to talk about?" Yuna asked, "You're lucky I didn't call the cops!"

"Yuna, Yuna, Yuna!" Tidus said, shaking his head, "How many times do I have to tell you? They wouldn't do anything!"

"Tidus," Yuna said, "They would have to!"

"No," Tidus said, shaking his head, "And besides…That would suck for Rikku. It would suck to have the first party you ever go to get busted."

Yuna's face dropped and she said, "What have you done with her?"

"Me? Nothing. Gippal stole her away from me."

"What has he done with her?" Yuna asked, appearing very shocked.

"I don't know," Tidus said, "Last I knew, they were headed toward my room, which gives me nowhere to sleep…"

Yuna started toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Tidus asked.

"To get Rikku," she responded.

"They're just talking!" Tidus said, "Turns out they're family friends."

"I don't believe you!"

"It's the truth! Their grandmothers were friends, or something like that. Dude, Gip seriously likes her. He was all over me for being a jerk and stuff."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I still don't believe her. I'm going to get her."

"And break up true love?" Tidus asked, "Just let 'em be, Yuna. They'll be fine."

"Tidus, I don't trust you, and I don't trust your friend," Yuna said, crossing her arms.

Tidus laughed and said, "Trust me, Gippal is a lot more trustworthy than I am! That guy has morals."

"Didn't you tell me you had morals?" Yuna asked, rolling her eyes, "Although I know you don't."

Tidus laughed again and said, "Allow me to reword that. Gippal has more morals than I."

"That's not saying a lot though," Yuna reminded Tidus.

Tidus nodded and said, "You may have a point there."

"You're not supposed to agree with me," Yuna said, glaring at him.

Tidus smiled and said, "Yuna, look…I'm tired of fighting."

"Oh really?" Yuna said, sarcastically of course, "Well, me too. So no more parties. There. Everything is fixed."

"Yuna, you don't understand!" Tidus said in a whiny voice, "If I don't have parties, my whole house is empty. Completely and utterly empty. What am I supposed to do in my spare time?"

"Read a book," Yuna said, flashing him the book she held in her hands.

"I'm not smart like that!" Tidus said, "I get bored way too easily!"

"So sit around and be your alcoholic self in quiet," Yuna said, smiling, "Have your girlfriend over and do what your perverted self does best."

"Yuna, you don't understand!" Tidus said once again, "I need people. Telling me not to have parties would be like telling you not to read."

"Yes, but reading is not distracting."

"It is to me," Tidus said, "Do you know how annoying it is for me to sit out there all by myself and look over here only to see you reading?"

Yuna's eyes rolled, and she said, "Why would you find that annoying?"

"Because I'm over there," Tidus said, pointing to his yard, "Bored out of my mind, and I look over here, and there you are. You have no interest in hanging out or anything. You just want to sit there and read those damn books. Don't you think Rikku gets tired of that too? That's why she came to my party! Face it Yuna, you're boring."

Yuna looked at the book in her hand and simply shook her head, saying, "You don't know anything."

"Don't you ever get lonely?" Tidus asked, "I mean, you're here all day all by yourself!"

"I'm used to it," Yuna said, "And you should get used to it too."

"I can't!" Tidus said, "Trust me Yuna, I've tried. It just doesn't work."

"Then go to blitz camp like you normally do!" Yuna said.

Tidus laughed and shook his head, saying, "This is my only summer that will be without blitz for my entire life. That's the last thing I want to do right now."

"Well, we can't stop fighting until you agree not to have parties anymore. Or at least have less! Or make them quieter, or…"

"Or have a massive one combining both of our places so that I can never have a party again because that one was simply too grand?"

"No," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"Why not?" Tidus asked, his voice growing whiny again.

"Because I don't party," Yuna said slowly, "And I never plan to."

"Just this once. You can hang with me, and I promise we'll be completely boring."

"No, I don't trust you."

"Why not?"

"You are an arrogant blitzball player, Tidus. A stereotypical jock."

"Not necessarily."

"Yes, you are."

"No, not always."

"Yes, always."

"I promise you, I'm not. You have yet to see the real Tidus."

Yuna laughed and said, "Oh Yevon, I'm pretty sure I've seen the real Tidus plenty of times running around his yard drunk out of his mind. I'm pretty sure I've seen your girlfriend making babies right in the yard. I'm pretty sure—."

"Those aren't the real Tidus!" Tidus interrupted her, "The real Tidus is sweet, and innocent and…"

"And a total manipulator," Yuna cut in, "But your skills don't exactly work on me. Goodnight, Tidus."

"Wait!" Tidus cried, "I'm not trying to manipulate you! Really Yuna, I just want to be friends. Who knows, maybe if we hung out like friends or something, I wouldn't need to party."

"Don't act sweet," Yuna said, "I have no interest in being your friend. I know what you're like, Tidus. I watch you out there every night."

"Ha, I knew you watched me!" Tidus said.

"Yes, I do. But only because I attempt to figure out how I can ruin those darn speakers you have!"

"Nice, aren't they?" Tidus asked.

"No."

"Okay, Yuna," Tidus said, "I think we have a ton in common."

"We have nothing in common."

"Just hear me out!" Tidus said, and he cleared his throat, "Both of us are wealthy. We'd have to be to live in the houses we live in. And both of us are left alone all summer long. I'm not sure how your father is, but he obviously trusts you to leave you. My old man doesn't trust me, but he doesn't need to. Because he doesn't care about me…"

Yuna shook her head and said, "My father does care about me, so how are we similar? Just because we're rich and our fathers leave us alone all summer?"

"…Yeah."

"Wow Tidus, we have two things in common!" Yuna said, "Now goodnight, I'm going to bed."

"Yuna really," Tidus said, his face completely serious, "I only have parties because I get bored. I just want something to do."

"Well, sorry Tidus, but I'm not the one that you're going to be doing."

"Yevon Yuna that's not all I think about!" Tidus cried, "You act like I'm a man whore!"

"You are!" Yuna said, "Just…Do me a favor and let me go to bed, and we'll talk tomorrow."

"So you're going to leave Rikku?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Yuna said, shrugging, "It's late, Tidus. Go home."

"You know, I think we actually got somewhere tonight," Tidus said, looking proud of himself, "We had a normal conversation!"

"Um…Whatever," Yuna just said, giving him a confused look. Had it been a normal conversation? In a way, it kind of had been…

Tidus smiled and said, "I guess I'll see you later then. Oh, hey, you should definitely leave that door unlocked. There's probably some baby-making going on in my room, if you know what I mean. I'll need a place to sleep."

"You're not staying here," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "Goodbye, Tidus."

"See ya!"

Yuna rolled her eyes and shut the door quickly, leaving Tidus alone on her balcony. A small smile crept upon his lips. Whether she had meant to or not, she hadn't locked the door.

With that smile still spread across his lips, Tidus climbed down from the balcony and made his way back to his party.


	6. Breakfast

Well, how is everybody doing? Haha, again, I don't really have much to say… I kind of enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading!

Chapter 6: Breakfast

Yuna laid awake for quite some time before finally drifting asleep. She probably simply couldn't get to sleep because of the ruckus next door, but what had really been on her mind was the fact that she hadn't locked the door.

Why hadn't she? She had laid there for hours, trying to convince herself that she needed to get up and lock it. Still, she couldn't convince her body to leave her bed, and eventually, she drifted off into an actually rather peaceful slumber.

So when she woke up the next morning, she shouldn't have been surprised to see what she saw.

As her eyes lazily opened, and she sat up, she looked to her right only to see Tidus slumbering peacefully on her floor. She let out a little gasp and then sat there, wide-eyed, shocked at seeing him.

He was simply on the floor, with only the carpet underneath him, and a small quilt that Yuna usually kept slung over a chair over him. His mouth was slightly agape and he was breathing very softly. His shirt was rolled up and tucked under his arm, almost as if it was a stuffed animal.

Yuna didn't know what to do. Should she wake him? Should she just leave him? She was curious to know why he was on her floor of all places. Finally, annoyance took over, and she jumped out of bed and walked past him. She was going to get dressed and ready for the day, and then he was going to have a talking to.

"The indecency of it!" Yuna cried as she reached her bathroom and started to shove a brush through her hair, "Just coming into a girl's room like that! He truly does have no morals!" Although he had slept on the floor. And even though Yuna wanted to deny it, she couldn't say that he didn't look cute and innocent, sleeping soundly.

"Wait!" Yuna cried then, perhaps too loudly, "Didn't Tidus say he sleeps naked!" She peeked out her door and back at him, although she was almost afraid to do so. Knowing him, he was naked under those blankets.

"Alright Mister, get up!" Yuna cried, covering her eyes.

She waited for some time, but he didn't seem to be moving. Yuna opened her fingers to see through them, only to see that he was still sleeping.

"Tidus!" She said again, a little bit louder, although she found herself unable to yell, "Tidus, get up!" Still there was no movement from him.

Sighing, she walked up to him with care, and poked him. Still nothing.

"Tidus!" she said, as she knelt down next to him, "Tidus, get up!"

Finally a groan emitted from him, and he turned around as if to get away from her, although now he was facing her.

"Tidus get up now!" Yuna said once more.

His eyes opened then, frightening Yuna so much that she fell over backwards.

He let out a laugh and said, "What time is it?"

"Nine."

"…Nine at night?"

"Um, nine in the morning. Tidus, what are you doing in my room?"

"You left the door unlocked," Tidus said, yawning and turning around.

"Yeah but you can't just walk in and then come to my room!"

"Why not? We're friends aren't we?"

"No!"

"Oh, sorry. I thought we were."

"No! Tidus, get out!"

He turned around to face her again and said, "Yuna, wake me up at like two or something."

"No, get out now."

"But I'm naked."

So it was true.

"Okay, I'll go into the bathroom, and you get dressed, and get out of here."

"No way. You'll peek!"

"No I won't!" Yuna cried, "I'm not a pervert like you are!"

"Yuna, you'll peek and you know it," Tidus said, yawning as he said it, "It's just a natural thing to do. Any girl would peek. You're not the only one."

"I assure you Tidus, I'm not going to peek."

Tidus smiled, and without warning, suddenly threw the quilt off of himself. Yuna let out a little squeal and quickly covered her eyes.

Tidus laughed and said, "Yuna, you are the most gullible person I have ever known! I'm not naked!"

"Put your shirt on," Yuna just said, "And get out of here."

"What? You don't want to go get breakfast or something?"

"No."

"I'll pay! Breakfast on me. It's the least I can do after you showed me the hospitality that you showed me last night."

"Yevon Tidus, just get out of here."

"Nope. Breakfast on me."

"No. I'm not hungry."

"Don't lie Yuna. We'll go to that café over there. You know, the one we saw each other at the other day."

"No."

"Go get dressed Yuna, and that's where we're going," Tidus said, yawning again, "I need some coffee or something."

Yuna just let out an angry sigh and went into the bathroom, slamming the door as she did so.

How had he managed to turn it into him bossing her? Yuna shoved her toothbrush in her mouth and began to brush angrily. So she was going to go to breakfast with Tidus? He had said it would be on him. Yuna shook her head and rinsed her mouth out. There was no way she was going to get breakfast with him.

She turned around then toward the door, realizing that she hadn't even grabbed anything to wear. Growing more and more annoyed by the second, Yuna knocked on the bathroom door (as it led to her room), not able to believe that she was knocking from her bathroom to get to her own room.

"Yes?" Tidus said, answering the door.

"I need to get dressed," Yuna said, walking past him.

"Good, and I need to brush my teeth," Tidus said, grabbing Yuna's toothbrush.

"No, not my toothbrush!" Yuna said, but Tidus shut the door, blocking her from the bathroom.

"Ugh, you make me so mad!" Yuna cried, but she rolled her eyes and went and got something out to wear. Then, she went into the room next door, locked the door, just in case, and got dressed.

When she was finally dressed, she found Tidus still in her room, looking through her stuff.

"Get out," Yuna said, expecting Tidus to jump upon her entrance. He didn't. Instead, he just turned and smiled at her, almost innocently. Of course, Yuna knew better, and what he said next simply proved her right.

"You know, me using your toothbrush is pretty much equal to us making out," Tidus said, still smiling.

"Get out," Yuna simply said again.

"Not until you go to breakfast with me," Tidus said, reaching into his pocket, "Here's my keys, let's go!"

"No, you're not driving!" Yuna said.

"Sure I am. We wouldn't want you to waste your gas, Yuna!"

"I'll happily waste mine," Yuna said, grabbing her own keys.

"No, that's not fair."

"Yes, it is. I don't trust you to drive me! Wait, better idea. We'll both drive ourselves."

"No, Tidus cannot be seen driving all by himself," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"You sound even more arrogant when you refer to yourself in third person," Yuna said, crossing her arms.

"In what?" Tidus just said, "Third what?"

"Forget it," Yuna said, holding her keys in front of her, "The point is, if I'm allowing you to buy me breakfast, I'm not risking my life by riding in the same car as you."

Without warning, Tidus snatched her keys from her and said, "Well, if you have no keys, you have to come with me."

"Or I could just not go at all," Yuna said, growing even more annoyed, despite the fact that she thought she could not get more annoyed.

"Aw, stop being lame," Tidus said, and he grabbed her arm and started to lead her out the door.

"I can walk myself, thank you," Yuna said, pulling her arm from his grasp.

"Well, breakfast ends soon, so we gotta hurry," Tidus just said, leading the way, only to stop, "Uh, how do we get out of your house?"

"Follow me," Yuna just said, rolling her eyes for what had to be the millionth time that morning.

She led him outside into the beautiful summer air and he immediately took the lead from her, and led her to his garage.

"I wonder how many people are still at my house," he said, looking at his house as they entered the garage.

"Do you think Rikku spent the night?" Yuna asked nervously.

"I'm not sure," Tidus said, "Do you see her car?"

"No," Yuna answered.

Tidus laughed and said, "Well, I don't see Gippal's, either."

Neither of them said anything though, for Tidus opened the passenger door of his car for Yuna, with a huge smile plastered across his face, and then took his own spot in the driver's seat.

Yuna crossed her arms in defeat, and focused her attention out the window as Tidus pulled out.

"Do you ditch your parties often?" Yuna asked after a little while of silence.

"Not usually," Tidus said, "But I've never been ditched by a girl before."

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked, looking at him with a look of disgust plastered across her face.

"Your cousin ditched me for Gippal," Tidus said, shrugging, "So I came over."

Yuna rolled her eyes, and said, "What, to chase me instead?"

Tidus looked at her, and he said, "Do you think that's what I'm doing?"

"I have no idea," Yuna said, "But I don't understand why I'm going to have breakfast with you right now…"

"We're friends."

"No, we're not."

"Yuna, Yuna, Yuna," Tidus said, shaking his head, "We're neighbors. So we have to be friends!"

"I've known you for a while now, and you just assumed me to be some ugly neighbor girl who you had no interest in."

"Hey, you came on to me," Tidus said, "I was just minding my own business when you came to my doorstep, ringing the doorbell."

"To tell you to knock off the partying!" Yuna said, "How do you take that as friendship?"

"And then you came and talked to me while I swam, and invited me to spend the night!"

"First of all, I came to talk to you about turning your music down. And I never invited you to spend the night!"

"Did too!" Tidus argued, "You didn't lock the door. Sorry Yuna, but I took that as an invite to come right on over. I figured I'd walk in there and you'd be dressed all in lingerie ready to go. But you were sleeping."

"You are such a pervert," Yuna said, "Take me back home."

"And you're so bossy! Tidus, get out! Tidus, take me back home! Tidus, you're extraordinarily hot and I'm having trouble keeping my hands off of you."

Yuna reached over and hit him on the shoulder, not hard of course, with her eyebrows pulled forward.

"See, you can't keep your hands off of me," Tidus said, throwing her a cheeky smile.

"Tidus, do you just pull this stuff out of nowhere? You even sound convincing. Maybe I do think that way."

Tidus gave her a surprised look, and then instantly turned his attention back to the road. Yuna continued.

"Maybe I do find you utterly attractive. Maybe I was hoping to do something last night. Maybe I am wanting to just jump you right now."

"Well, I can pull over," Tidus said, although Yuna noticed a quite shake in his voice.

"You wouldn't know what to do," Yuna said, giving him a side-glance.

"I would too!" Tidus said, "You don't even want to know how many girls I've been with!"

"That's not making me want to jump you," Yuna said, shaking her head, "It's turning me off, actually."

"Dude, a girl like you can't get turned on," Tidus said.

"Can too!" Yuna said, surprised she was talking the way she was. She had meant to keep the conversation fully sarcastic, and she was beginning to get the feeling that Tidus wasn't getting the sarcasm, and she was beginning to lose it.

Tidus suddenly swerved over to the side of the road, causing Yuna's heart to almost stop. Was he serious?

He put his car into park, and turned to her. Yuna immediately unbuckled her seatbelt, ready to run, but Tidus just started to laugh.

"You're scared, face it Yuna."

Yuna looked at the ground and buckled herself again. She couldn't really deny it.

She swallowed and said, "I was just being sarcastic."

"Me too," Tidus said, pulling back onto the road.

The two rode along in silence, before Tidus finally said, "Have you ever kissed a guy, Yuna?"

"That's none of your business," Yuna responded.

"Yeah, it's not," Tidus said, "But have you?"

"I'm not going to tell you!"

"Hey, we're friends now!"

"We are not friends."

"Right," Tidus said, just as they pulled into the café, "We're more than friends." He laughed then and got out of the car. Yuna rolled her eyes and followed him.

The two walked in and were seated almost immediately.

Yuna picked up the menu quickly, glad that she had something to look at besides Tidus. She just wanted to eat and get out of there.

"So, Sweetheart," Tidus said, putting his menu down so he could see her, "What are you having?"

"Do not call me that," Yuna said, glancing at him over the top of her menu, "And you know, I'm feeling pretty hungry…Do you mind if I order more than one thing?"

"Order whatever you want," Tidus said, smiling sweetly at her, which caused another eye roll from Yuna.

The waitress came around then, and Yuna began.

"I'll have your pancake special, and your triple egg special, and can I also get an order of your steak and eggs? Yes, I would like five eggs total. Actually, can I also get an order of bacon and an English muffin? Oh, and while you're at it, a cinnamon roll as well? Ooh, and maybe some toast?"

She put her menu down then, and smiled sweetly at Tidus, and said, "Oh, and a large orange juice and maybe a chocolate milk."

The lady just gave her a weird look, but collected her menu and turned to Tidus.

Tidus gave Yuna a challenging look, and he said, "I'll have the same."

"All of it?" the waitress asked, looking confused.

"Yeah," Tidus said, "Although make my milk whole milk and not chocolate."

"We only have skim and two percent," the lady said, giving him a weird look.

"Fine, a beer," Tidus said.

Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "He's way underage."

"I'll need to see an I.D."

Tidus reached in his pocket, only to say, "Shit, I don't have it."

The waitress rolled her eyes and said, "Two percent then?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, sounding defeated.

The waitress gave them both weird looks, and then started off, to put in their massive order.

"So, you think you can eat all of that?" Tidus asked, laughing.

"No, but you'll have to foot the bill, _friend_," Yuna said, smiling sweetly still.

"Not a problem," Tidus said, "Anything for a _friend._"

The two found themselves in silence then, as Yuna studied the signs on the wall, although she'd seen them many times, hoping to divert her attention away from Tidus.

"So, you like to read, Yuna?" Tidus said then, still smiling sweetly at her.

"Yes, I do," Yuna said, although she didn't look back at Tidus.

"Me too," Tidus said, smiling.

Yuna looked at him and shook her head, saying, "And what do you read, Tidus? Playboy magazine?"

"Sometimes," Tidus said, which caused Yuna to let out yet another eyeroll, "But not nearly as much as I read blitzball magazines."

"Wow, you are a jock," Yuna said then, "Let's just go. I'm not hungry anymore."

"Hey, you say jock as if it's a bad thing!" Tidus said, "It's not. It's a very good thing. I can go to any college I want! And my G.P.A. was a one-point-five. It was supposed to be two-point-oh, but they made an exception for me."

"It's people like you that make me sick!" Yuna cried, shaking her head, "I was Valedictorian, Tidus. Do you know what is?"

"Of course I do!" Tidus said, "I used to give our school Valedictorian swirlies back in junior high!"

"Anyway, I don't even get a full-ride," Yuna said, "Unlike you."

"Yeah, but you don't have to deal with fifty-million colleges calling you," Tidus said, and Yuna noticed his eyes dimmed, "And that's not an exaggeration."

"I wish colleges would contact me like that," Yuna said, "So don't even complain."

Tidus shrugged and said, "But colleges…My old man wants me to go to Zanarkand." Tidus let out a little chuckle and said, "He even says that I can come meet his new woman if I go there."

Yuna cocked her head to the side. Was he being serious?

"What's your father like?" Yuna asked.

Tidus shrugged and said, "I don't know. It's been over a year since I've seen him. He could've changed…But it's doubtful."

"So you're all alone. All year long?"

"Yeah," Tidus answered.

"Where does he live?"

"Zanarkand. He said he wanted to get out of this hell hole as soon as possible."

"So he moved?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, shrugging, "He got the hell outta here, got remarried, and I haven't seen him since."

"All in a year?"

"Yeah, it was some slut he slept with back in the day."

Yuna looked at the ground. Obviously he got his ways from his father.

"Mom died, and he was gone," Tidus said, looking at the ground and sighing.

Yuna didn't know what to say. She just stared at him, as if she was unsure if he was telling the truth or not.

"She died a just a little over a year ago, you know," Tidus said, and he gave her a little shrug, "We moved here 'cause of the hospital here. She was really sick. A rare blood disease."

"Are you…Telling the truth?" Yuna asked.

"What have I ever done to make you think I was a liar?" Tidus asked, shaking her head.

Yuna shrugged, and said, "Well, there was the time you told me you had morals…"

"That wasn't a lie," Tidus said, just as the waitress began to pile food down in front of them, "I really do have morals. Just not many."

"So your mother was sick?" Yuna asked, "I'm sorry to hear about her death."

"Yeah," Tidus said, shrugging, "I busied myself with blitz to forget about it. One day I came back from a tournament, only to find that she had died."

"If it makes you feel any better, my mom died too," Yuna said, "Only when I was really young. I don't even remember her."

"Well," Tidus shrugged, "I don't remember my mom much either. I blitzed too much."

"Oh," Yuna said, looking at the food spread across the table, "Tidus, I can't eat all of this. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking to order it all."

He laughed and said, "Me neither. Don't worry about it. My old man sends me massive checks. He must feel guilty for leaving me like he did. The day after Mom died, he was out of there."

"The day after?" Yuna asked, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Yeah," Tidus said, nodding, "He hated it in Bevelle. The blitz wasn't good enough for him. He was a professional blitzer, you know."

"I didn't know that," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"He was legendary," Tidus said, looking at the ground, "But then he started drinking and…Well, soon enough the team was telling him basically to get lost. Luckily Mom had set aside a lot of his earnings. But he still gets a weekly check, 'cause all he has to do is sign something and there's a thousand gil."

Yuna didn't know what to say. Was he really telling the truth?

"Anyway, you eat enough?" Tidus asked, although he hadn't touched his food at all, "I'm feeling kind of tired. No offense, but your floor isn't all the comfortable."

"That's it?" Yuna said, looking shocked, "You're not going to throw in that my bed would have been more comfortable?"

"Don't be a pervert, Yuna," Tidus said, as he waved down the waitress for a check, "I know it seems cool to copy me, but it's not. You're right, I am a jerk. I am a stereotypical jock. I am a man whore. What else have you called me? Well, I'm definitely not a liar, Yuna."

"I'm sorry for calling you a liar," Yuna said, "And I'm sorry for ordering all of this food. Do you want me to help pay?"

"No, I got it," Tidus said, as he took out a wad of cash, "It's not a big deal."

"I'm sorry," Yuna said again, "I've been kind of a jerk."

"Yeah you have," Tidus said, lying the money down on the table, "But it's alright, I forgive you. After all, we're friends."

Yuna looked at him for some time, before she finally said, "You're right, we are."

He smiled back at her, and said, "Really?"

"Yeah," she said, and she smiled, "But only because I feel sorry for you."

"Sure you do," Tidus said, and it was his turn to roll his eyes, "But I don't like the sarcasm in your tone, Missy!"

"I'm serious," Yuna said, "I do feel sorry for you."

"Ah, a pity friend. First you're my pity date, and now my pity friend…"

"I was never a date," Yuna said, and she stood up, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, friend."

"Okay then, let's go," Yuna said, smiling, "Friend."


	7. Humane Society

Okay, I just thought this chapter was kind of cute. Haha. Oh, and thank you all for the kind reviews! They really make my day! Anyway, enjoy!

OH, and sorry about the italicsize weird stuff that was going on. It's fixed now.

Chapter 7: Humane Society

"I know about the party," Yuna said, with a smile across her lips, "Care to explain?"

"Okay Yunie," Rikku's voice was heard, "I know I said I wouldn't go, but I was careful! I didn't do anything illegal, Yunie, I swear!"

Yuna laughed and said, "I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yup. Although I do want to know what you did with Gippal…"

At that, there was silence, before Rikku said, "Yunie, he's my boyfriend now."

"…Oh," Yuna said, her mouth dropping slightly, "Um, okay."

"How did you know about Gippal and I?" Rikku asked, her voice slightly shaky.

"Tidus told me," Yuna answered.

"Oh, you've seen him?"

"Yeah, I have," Yuna said, taking a seat. Usually her cousin showed up at her house, but it had been two days since Tidus' last party, and there had been no sign of Rikku. So Yuna had finally called her, deciding that something had to be up.

"Yeah, Gippal's nothing like Tidus, Yunie."

"I believe you," Yuna said, "I mean, I trust you to make good decisions. What have you been up to?"

"Not much," Rikku responded, "Um…Gippal and I are going to hang out tonight and stuff, you know, go to the pool, see a movie…"

"I see," Yuna said, looking out the window, "It's been pretty quiet over here."

"No parties?"

"No, Tidus has been surprisingly quiet. He hasn't even been over here."

"He's been coming over?"

"Well, I thought he might," Yuna said, "The night of his last party, he came over here…"

"Oh?" Rikku said.

"Yeah, and then we had breakfast and stuff and you know…He's kind of a nice guy."

Rikku laughed, which surprised Yuna, and she said, "He's just pulling you into his trap."

"No, it's not like that," Yuna said, perhaps too soon, "We're friends. It's nothing outside of that."

"Trust me, Yunie," Rikku said, her voice sounding almost worried, "Tidus doesn't actually want to be your friend. He obviously wants something. Trust me, Yunie. I know, I'm dating his best friend!"

"I really don't think it's like that," Yuna said, shaking her head, despite the fact that her friend couldn't see her.

"Yunie, it's the same thing you told me!"

"Not exactly!" Yuna said, "He's not like…"

Rikku just laughed and said, "Yunie, Gippal's here. I gotta go."

"Okay," Yuna said softly.

"Talk to you later!" Rikku said.

"Yeah, bye."

Yuna hung up and made a scowling face. For the last two days she had pondered over Tidus' behavior. She walked out onto her balcony and looked across the yard and into Tidus'. She hadn't seen him in over a day, but she had managed to enjoy the peace and quiet. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what he was planning next.

"Alright," she said softly to herself, "He claims to want to be friends…" She stopped talking though, for Tidus himself emerged from his house then, talking on his phone. He looked over and saw her and waved, but then went back in, still talking.

Yuna sighed and turned back inside as well.

-

Tidus hung up, rolling his eyes. He didn't know why Dona thought she had to call him daily. He just couldn't be happier that she had finally left, and that eventually they'd just go their own ways. He flipped his phone back open and quickly dialed Gippal's number. It had been way too long since he'd heard from him.

The phone rang quite a few times before Gippal's voice mail finally came up.

"Hey, it's Gippal! Chances are, I'm with Rikku right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you soon! BEEP!"

It took a while before Tidus could say anything, but he finally said, "Gippal, what the hell? It's supposed to be 'chances are I'm at one of Tidus' parties!' Where the hell have you been? Are you—" Another beep cut him off.

Mad, Tidus slammed his phone down on the table and he strutted back outside, and toward the yard that neighbored his.

"Yuna!" he cried, seeing that she was no longer on the balcony but inside, "Yuna!"

Her head finally poked out of the door on the balcony, and she came out and said, "Yes?"

"I'm partying tonight," he said, "I need it. Okay with you?"

"I have to get up early tomorrow!" Yuna said.

"Fine, I'll just go swimming all night," Tidus said, looking bummed, "Have you heard from Gippal?"

"Why would I hear from Gippal?"

"Well, I can't get a hold of him."

"I just finally got a hold of Rikku. They're dating."

"I figured that," Tidus said, "And to think…It was I that set them up."

"Oh, how sweet of you!" Yuna said, although she had promised herself to drop the sarcasm.

"It was sweet, wasn't it?" Tidus said, smiling, "You coming swimming with me tonight?"

"Will you stop partying then?"

"Yuna, we're friends now! Just party with me!"

"Nope."

"Fine. The deal's off. Although I'm still holding out for that double-party deal. You do that, and I swear I could never throw a party again."

"Nope," Yuna said again, smiling at him.

"I don't get it Yuna! It'd be the coolest party ever!"

"I don't party," Yuna said, shrugging and giving him a little shrug.

"One party ain't gonna kill you!"

"It goes against my morals," Yuna said, "Remember Tidus, morals is that thing that you just kind of have."

"Oh, right," Tidus said, smiling, "Can I come up there? Or you come down here? It's hurting my neck to keep looking up like this!"

"Sorry, but I actually have to leave soon," Yuna said.

"It's a Thursday. What goes on on Thursday?"

"I walk dogs for the humane society on Thursday," Yuna said, "Wanna come along?"

"Um…Volunteer work isn't really my thing…" Tidus said, shaking his head.

"You don't like dogs?" Yuna said, smiling down at him.

"Well, I don't know," Tidus said, shrugging, "I've never been around them."

"Well, the dogs there are sweeties," Yuna said, "They're super nice."

"No thanks," Tidus said, "How's that gonna look? Tidus, the city blitz champ walking dogs?"

"You'd probably make the news," Yuna said, rolling her eyes although she hadn't meant to, "Tidus—Who still hasn't chosen a school!—walks dogs!"

"Yeah, you're right, it'd make the front page of the sports page!"

"News is slow these days," Yuna said, "It could be a plus!"

Tidus shook his head and said, "I don't really need a plus."

Yuna nodded and said, "You're right, you don't. And that's where we differ. I have to do this stuff, you know, in order to get scholarships. But you don't."

"it's not a big deal, is it?" Tidus asked, shrugging.

"No, I enjoy it," Yuna said, "Anyway, I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I guess so," Tidus said, nodding slowly, "Although…I guess there's really not much to do around here, especially now that Gippal is too busy…"

"Does that mean you're going to come?" Yuna asked, and she raised her eyebrows as if to challenge him.

"That means I'm seriously considering it," Tidus just said, giving her a little smirk, "But what's the point of me doing it, if it's not even going to help me get scholarships?"

"You can see what it's like for a normal person," Yuna said, "One who isn't extremely talented in blitzball."

"Wow Yuna, was that a compliment?"

"Feel free to take it that way!" Yuna just said, "I'm going to be late. I have to go! Remember, no parties tonight!"

"Wait Yuna!" Tidus yelled up to her, "I guess I'll…Come."

"Cool," Yuna said, "It'll take less time then!"

"Alright, but let's take my convertible!"

"How many cars do you have?"

"Just three."

"Three?"

"Yeah. I'll have like five once these college offers get done."

"I'll meet you down there," Yuna just said, shaking her head, and she went inside her house. Shaking her head, she grabbed her keys even though Tidus had said he'd drive, and quickly left her house, only to stop.

"What are you doing in my garage?" she said, seeing Tidus looking at her car.

"Sweet ride," he just said, "How come I never see you drive it?"

"Usually I leave and get back before you're awake," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "Did you just walk in here?"

"Door was unlocked," Tidus said, shrugging.

"So unlocked doors equals access for you, right?" Yuna said, "I guess I forget that you have no morals."

"I have a few morals!" Tidus said, "Remember, I do have some!"

"Whatever," Yuna said, "Are you saying you want to take my car?"

"No, it's convertible day!" Tidus said, "Come on!"

Yuna followed him to his driveway, and into his garage, where he did indeed have three cars, and into his convertible.

"What kind of music do you like?" Tidus asked, as soon as he began to pull out of his driveway.

"None," Yuna responded.

"You don't like any kind of music?" Tidus asked, seeming shocked.

"Trust me, Tidus, I've heard your music enough in the past two weeks to last me forever."

"Fine, no music," Tidus said, smiling broadly, "Where's this dog pound?"

"It's the humane society," Yuna said, "Oh, which reminds me! The humane society is trying to raise money for a new place. So this weekend, there's going to be a bake sale! Do you want to help out?"

"Yuna, I'm just walking dogs because I'm bored," Tidus said, shaking his head, "Besides, I don't know how to bake."

"Well, we can bake together," Yuna said, smiling.

"A bake…Date?" Tidus said, smiling back at her.

"Yes, the kind of dates friends go on," Yuna said, slowly.

"Dude, friends don't date."

"So that's a no for the bake date?"

"Definitely," Tidus said, "So where's this pound?"

"Humane society," Yuna corrected him, "And it's actually just down that road up there."

"Oh that place? My girlfriend Dona thought it was a tanning salon!"

"Great," Yuna said, as Tidus smiled at the thought, "So how are things going between you and Dona."

"Oh, Dona? She's not really my girlfriend. She's just the head cheerleader."

"Okay, so…" Yuna simply trailed, for she didn't know what else to say.

"So I'm the head blitzer, she's the head cheerleader. That's just how it is. You know, prom king and queen sort of thing."

"Sorry, that kind of stuff didn't really go on at my school," Yuna said, shrugging.

"That's 'cause your blitz team sucks," Tidus said, as if that completely made senese, "This the place? It does look like a tanning salon, doesn't it?"

"I've never been to a tanning salon," Yuna said, stepping out of the car, "It's bad for your health, you know. It increases chances of skin cancer, and…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tidus said, "I only tan before spring break. You know, gotta be tan in Kilika!"

"Your skin is going to get all wrinkly," Yuna said, walking toward the building.

"Wrinkly? Just from tanning? That can't happen!"

Yuna didn't answer him, but instead walked into the small building.

"Wow, this is small," Tidus said, walking in behind her.

Yuna ignored him and went to the counter.

"Hey Shelinda!" Yuna greeted the humane society's usual desk clerk.

"Who's your friend?" Shelinda simply said, looking past Yuna and at Tidus who was poking his fingers into a cat kennel.

"Oh, that's just Tidus."

Shelinda gasped.

"Oh Yevon, that's who I thought he was!"

"You know who he is?" Yuna said, shocked.

"Of course I do!" Shelinda said, pointing to a section in the newspaper that she was looking at, "He's a future blitz star! He has colleges all over fighting over him!"

"Yeah…So…?" Yuna just said.

"Yuna, he's even going to get scouted by professional teams! And look at him! He's cute! So, how do you know him?"

"Well, he's my neighbor," Yuna said, shrugging.

"No way! You live next to him!"

"Hey Yuna! This cat's licking me!" Tidus' voice was suddenly heard.

"Cats do that…" Yuna said, and she turned her attention back to Shelinda, "Anyway, which dogs do you want us to take?"

"You can take Brutus and Tiny," Shelinda said, "They haven't been walked in a while."

"Okay, thanks," Yuna said, "Tidus, do you want to walk Brutus, or Tiny?"

"Yuna, do you think I'm a wimp? Did I ever tell you the time I broke my arm and kept blitzing? My arm just hung there, but I still managed to score three goals!"

"So you want Tiny then?"

"Funny, Yuna. No, I want Brutus!"

"Alright," Yuna said, "Come on, let's go get the dogs."

Yuna led Tidus through a hall and then to an array of kennels.

"Here's Brutus!" Yuna said, and let out a small little tan dog. The dog ran right over to Yuna, and wagged its tail, and licked her.

"Brutus is the sweetest dog here!" Yuna said, hooking the leash up to the dog's collar.

"Uh, that's Brutus?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah! Isn't he cute?"

"I guess…" Tidus said, as Yuna handed the leash over to him, "This one over here is Tiny!"

Yuna opened the kennel, only to have the largest dog ever emerge from the kennel.

"I should have seen that coming," Tidus said, "You sure you can handle Tiny?"

"Of course I can," Yuna said, "She's such a good girl!"

"She's a girl?"

"Yes."

Yuna rolled her eyes and she started off, and Tidus followed her.

"So you walk these dogs a lot?" Tidus asked as the two walked out of the building.

"Yes," Yuna answered, "They don't get out a lot, so I walk them."

"That's cool," Tidus said, looking down at the little dog that was walking beside him, "Do you like dogs?"

"Yes," Yuna said, "Do you?"

"No," Tidus answered, "They smell."

Yuna laughed and said, "Have you ever had a pet, Tidus?"

"No. My mom was allergic to all kinds of animals."

"Oh," Yuna said, "I guess that's a good reason to not have a pet."

"And my old man said that I would be too busy with blitzball to ever even consider having a pet," Tidus simply continued, "Do you have pets, Yuna?"

"Yes, I have a cat," Yuna answered, "I had a dog, too, but we just had to put her to sleep."

"That sucks," Tidus said, "Have you thought of adopting another one?"

"No," Yuna answered, "Well, actually, I have, but I can't. Going to college and all…I won't even have time to take care of my cat! Rikku's going to take him."

"Unless she's too busy with Gippal," Tidus said, giving a nasty look, "I just don't get him."

"Why not? What's wrong with my cousin, Tidus?"

"Trust me, nothing. But she's not going to sleep with him, so what's the point?"

Yuna stopped, which shocked Tiny, and said, "Is that all you care about Tidus? Is getting to bed?"

"What else matters?" Tidus asked, shrugging.

"A lot of things!" Yuna answered him, and she shook her head in disgust, "You really are just like I thought you were!"

"Yuna, I'm just kidding!" Tidus said, although Yuna knew he wasn't.

"What exactly were your plans with Rikku?" Yuna asked, still giving him a dirty look.

Tidus gave her a little smirk, and he said, "I can't tell you."

"Why not? Is it that bad?" Yuna asked, "I can't believe you! She's one of the most naïve and innocent girls I know!"

"You mean, next to yourself?"

"…No," Yuna said, although it was true. She herself was probably more innocent and naïve than Rikku. Well, maybe not.

"Wanna know what I wanted with Rikku?" Tidus said as the two turned around to go back to the building.

"Well, yes, I guess…" Yuna said, wondering if she did want to know. If it was what she was thinking, she would probably punch him.

"I wanted…" Tidus started, but he laughed and said, "I can't tell you."

"You can't tell me that you're going to tell me and then not tell me!" Yuna cried, "What were your plans?"

Tidus just continued to shake his head until they neared the building some more.

"Fine, you really wanna know?" Tidus asked, "I'll tell you."

"Fine, what?" Yuna said, attempting not to sound too interested, although she had just spent the last ten minutes literally begging him to tell her.

"I wanted to get to you," Tidus said, "What I mean by that, is that I wanted to make you mad."

"What?" Yuna cried, "Why would you want to make me mad?"

"I was mad that you wouldn't have a double-yard party!" Tidus cried, "You don't understand how badly I need to have that!"

"So you thought that by taking Rikku you'd…"

"I thought that if I could pretend to be dating Rikku or something, I could convince you to have a double yard party."

"And how would that have convinced me?"

Tidus smirked again, and he said, "It would make you jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Yuna cried as they walked the dogs back into the humane society.

Tidus shrugged while still wearing his smirk, and said, "Deny it as much as you want, but you know I'm hot. You wouldn't be able to handle the fact that Rikku was going out with me."

Yuna laughed and said, "You don't know me at all Tidus! I'm not jealous at her for having Gippal!"

"Gippal's not me though," Tidus said, raising his eyebrows as if to challenge her, "And besides, it already worked. You're jealous that I wanted Rikku and not you."

Yuna laughed again and said, "Trust me Tidus, I'm not jealous of her at all. Especially not because of you."

"It doesn't bother you that I only think of you as a friend?"

"No, it makes me happy, actually."

"Oh, it bothers you," Tidus said as they finally put Brutus back in his kennel and started toward Tidus' car.

"It does not!" Yuna said, crawling into his passenger seat, "I've never even thought about it!"

"You have too," Tidus said, and he started driving out of the parking lot, "It makes you wonder why I would choose her and not you. That's why you wanted to know my intentions with her. Not because you wanted to protect her, but because you were jealous."

Yuna shook her head again, but said nothing. She knew she was getting nowhere in the argument. Tidus' head was far too large to allow her to get her word in.

Still, as the two rode along in silence, she couldn't help but steal a glance at him. He was right: she couldn't deny that he was good-looking. She would almost use the word 'hot' to describe him, despite the fact that she thought it was a very inadequate way of describing someone. Almost.

Tidus pulled into her driveway then and said, "So, going swimming with me later?"

"No," Yuna answered, and she threw him a sweet smile, "See you later, Tidus."

"Yeah, maybe," came Tidus' answer, "Goodbye."


	8. Flirt

Okay, lately I've been trying to figure ou how long this story can be before August (According to my update-schedule) and it looks like it'll be at least 20 chapters, if not more. Haha, unless I decide to end it early, but right now that's not really an option. I just wrote chapter 13 yesterday, and I must say, I'm rather pleased with it, or at least the ending of it. It maybe by my favorite chapter yet! Haha, sorry for making you guys think of 13...Back to 8! Haha, enjoy!

Chapter 8: Flirt

As Yuna figured, she was just about to go to bed—she was brushing through her hair quickly—when Tidus' music suddenly started, possibly even louder than it had ever been before. If that was, of course, a possibility.

Clad completely in her pajamas, Yuna once again slipped on a pair of flip-flops, and started across the yard to Tidus' pool.

Tidus was leaning against the edge with a smirk on his face as she came, so Yuna knew he was probably waiting for her.

"Hey!" Tidus greeted her, loudly because of the music.

"Tidus, turn down the music," Yuna said, crossing her arms, "I was trying to sleep."

"Okay," Tidus said, "But you have to come swimming with me!"

"Okay, turn down the music and I'll consider it," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, I'll turn it down," Tidus said, and he crawled out and turned down a knob on his speakers, "Now come on, let's swim!"

Yuna shook her head and said, "I don't think so."

"Fine then, I'm turning the music back up!"

Tidus turned to turn the music back up, and then turned back around to say something, only to suddenly stop. Yuna was lifting her nightgown over her head, and Tidus didn't know if he should close his eyes or just stand there. So he of course just stood there with his mouth agape.

Underneath her nightgown was a black and white polka-dotted bikini—not too risqué, of course.

"Are you kidding me?" Tidus said, "You're really going to swim?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, shrugging, "But no more music, go it?"

"Wait, what about when I party?"

"We'll talk about that later," Yuna said, and she slid in the pool, "Your pool is heated?"

"Yours isn't?"

"I don't use it," Yuna said, looking at the water, "I haven't used it since I was little."

"That's lame," Tidus said, sliding back into the pool, "Don't you like to swim?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

Yuna just shook her head and said, "I don't know, actually… I guess I feel kind of awkward in a swimsuit."

Tidus craned his neck as if to look, and he said, "You don't look too bad."

"Don't look at me!" Yuna cried, crossing her arms over herself, despite the fact that she was in the water.

"Trust me, I wasn't looking at you!" Tidus said, "Well, I was, but only because you asked me to!"

"I didn't ask you to," Yuna said, turning away from him.

"Whatever," Tidus said, "So you don't swim because you think you look awkward. That's lame. Go work out or something so you get a major six-pack like what I have. Wanna see it?"

"I've seen it," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"Pretty hot, isn't it?"

"Whatever you say," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"You know, even though your back is to me, I still know you're rolling your eyes," Tidus said, rolling his own eyes, "I'm just trying to be helpful."

Yuna didn't say anything, but she let out a little gasp as something hit her in the back.

"What's this?" she cried, picking up an odd-shaped blue ball.

"Are you serious?" Tidus asked, swimming up to her, "That's a blitzball."

"Really? This is a blitzball?"

"You're kidding," Tidus said, his face completely serious, perhaps the most serious Yuna had ever seen it, "You really don't know that this is a blitzball?" He took the ball from her hands and twirled it on his finger.

"I've never seen a blitzball game," Yuna said, "Or a blitzball."

"You didn't play it in gym?"

"I took art instead of gym," Yuna said, shrugging.

"You're kidding," Tidus said, shaking his head with a look of disbelief across his face, "You've never ever seen a blitz game?"

"No."

"You've never played blitzball?"

"…No."

"Well, let's play right now!" Tidus said, "Me versus you."

"No!" Yuna said, "I don't know the first thing about blitzball!"

"Dude, you cannot go through your life without playing a game of blitz!" Tidus said, "And who better to play it with than me, Bevelle's star blitzer?"

"You'll kill me! Besides, I don't even know what to do!"

"Fine, I'll take you to a game. There's a club-level team here. We can watch them. They're not nearly as good as me, but they're at least a step about high school."

"I'm not going to see a game with you," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"Why not?" Tidus asked.

Yuna shrugged and said, "I'm afraid you'll get the wrong idea."

Tidus' smirk returned, and he said, "Trust me, Yuna. If anybody gets a wrong idea, it's going to be you."

He shrugged than, and dipped himself under water, and swam off toward the other side of the pool, leaving the blitzball to sit there, floating.

Yuna picked the ball up thoughtfully. He was right, she was going to get the wrong idea. After all, she knew she was already.

"I have to go," she said, as soon as Tidus surfaced, "I have things to do tomorrow."

"Alright," Tidus said, shrugging, "So no game of blitz?"

"Sorry, but no," Yuna said, tossing him the ball.

"Right. And no more music," Tidus said, "Although, hey, party tomorrow?"

"No," Yuna said, "Not tomorrow."

"Party or blitz, your choice."

"No!" Yuna said, shaking her head, "I don't have a towel."

"Take mine," Tidus said, nodding to the towel that was on a chair.

"Thanks," Yuna said, taking it, "See you later."

"Right," Tidus said, nodding, "Bye."

"Bye."

With that, Yuna grabbed her nightgown and wrapped herself in Tidus' towel—a towel that said in large letters: "Zanarkand Abes"—and started toward her house.

She expected Tidus to turn his music back on, but he didn't. The night was silent, just as Yuna wanted.

-

"Well Yunie, this is impressive," Rikku said, putting the paper down, "Yunie and Tidus, walking the dogs. I didn't know Tidus did that sort of thing."

"I talked him into it…" Yuna said, giving the newspaper a disgusted look. Sure enough, right on the front of the sports section was a picture of Tidus and Yuna, walking the dogs with a caption underneath that said, "Tidus walks dogs in his spare time!"

"I thought you hated him," Rikku said, shaking her head, "I think you're getting too close to him."

"I can't believe they actually put it in the paper. He must have people following him everywhere!"

"Yeah, so don't do anything you'll regret or you'll be all over the news. And your dad will hate that."

"Rikku, I'm not going to even hang out with him, let alone do something I'd regret."

"Good," Rikku said, looking at her cell phone, "Because I was going to get breakfast with Gippal, but I had to come here to make sure you weren't doing anything wrong."

"Rikku, you're the one that you should be worried about! Have you spent a day away from Gippal?"

"Yunie, Gippal is the sweetest guy ever!" Rikku cooed, "He's nothing like Tidus."

"How would you know?" Yuna asked, rolling her eyes, "You don't even know Tidus."

"Yunie, you told me all about how he was, remember? And besides, Gippal's told me some stories."

"He has?"

"Yeah. You know, Tidus has cheated on his girlfriend so many times, and he thinks that's alright, because his girlfriend cheats on him. But really, Tidus doesn't even like his girlfriend. He just goes out with her because she's apparently 'good in bed'. And Tidus is the biggest womanizer ever!"

"So you believe it when Gippal tells you that, but not me?"

"Now Yunie, Gippal knows! They've been best friends since kindergarten. Isn't that cute?"

"I guess," Yuna said, "Where's Gippal now?"

"At Tidus'," Rikku said, smiling, "So anyway, you need to stay away from Tidus, alright?"

Yuna gave her cousin a smile of disbelief, and she said, "Rikku, he has no interest in me. Not like that."

"Yeah, but you don't want to fall into his trap, Yunie!"

"Trust me Rikku, it's not going to happen. He invited me to go to a blitz game, but I turned him down, and he said it was a good thing I turned him down, because he wouldn't want me to get the wrong idea."

"Good," Rikku said, "Like I told you a while ago, Yunie, he's dangerous."

"I cannot believe I'm having this conversation with you!" Yuna said, "Rikku, I know what Tidus is like, okay? Remember, it was only a few weeks ago that I was telling you how dangerous Tidus was!"

"I know," Rikku said, smiling a sweet smile, "I just don't want you to get caught up in his good looks and make a bad decision."

"Rikku, that's not going to happen," Yuna said, "Trust me, I've turned him down numerous times."

"Whatever Yunie," Rikku said, "You're going to fall into his trap. And he's not interested in you. Alright?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, her voice dropping, "I know."

-

"And then Rikku said, "Gippal, I think the guy in your I.D. picture is my older brother!"'

"Wow, really funny," Tidus said, putting his head on the table, "Can we talk about something that doesn't have to do with Rikku?"

"She's really adorable," Gippal just continued, "I never thought I'd be one to get all goo-gah over my girlfriend, but she's just so cute! And sweet, and…"

"Shut up!" Tidus finally said, "What the hell happened to my friend Gippal? Where the hell have you been?"

"Tidus, what the hell is your problem? We turn nineteen in a month. We're not high school misfits anymore. You're going off to some big-name college while I just go to some technical school. I'm not going to waste my summer partying and having sex with random girls, Tidus. If that's what you want to do, fine, but I'm over it."

Tidus crossed his arms and pouted, and said, "Gip, we've been best friends since kindergarten! You're just gonna throw it all away because of some girl?"

"Ti, I still wanna be friends," Gippal said, "I just don't want to trot around like an idiot anymore, and I think you should try to understand that."

"Seriously, I'm calling Rikku and telling her you're breaking it off," Tidus said, pulling out his phone, "Dude, she was mine! And now you're practically getting married to her!"

"Give me that phone!" Gippal cried, trying to take it from him, "And you had no interest in her! You just wanted to mess with her!"

"So! She was still mine!"

"Give me that damn phone!" Gippal cried again and finally managed to snatch it, "Why the hell do you have her number anyway?"

"Because she was mine!" Tidus cried, "It took a lot of work to get that number!"

"I deleted it," Gippal said, handing Tidus' phone back to him, "See you around."

"Or not!" Tidus yelled after him, "We promised not to let a girl come between us, remember?"

"Yeah, when we were retarded assholes in sixth grade!" Gippal simply yelled back at him.

Tidus didn't say anything. He just sat there as Gippal left his house.

"What do I need him for anyway?" he said, leaning back in his chair, "He's been M.I.A. for about a week now and I've been fine. I'll be just fine…"

-

"Gippal has shown huge signs of maturity in the past few days," Rikku said, taking a bite of a chip, "He's really such a sweetheart."

Yuna was leaning her head into her hand, with a look of boredom spread across her face. Had Rikku really sat there for twenty minutes telling her of nothing but Gippal? Yuna glanced at the clock on the wall. Yes, she really had been sitting there for twenty minutes.

A ringtone of a sappy love song suddenly sang into the air, and Rikku said, "Ooh, that's Gippal now. We have the same ringtone! Isn't that cute?"

"Yeah, whatever," Yuna said, lifting her head up, just happy that Rikku was distracted.

"Hey!" Rikku said, answering her phone, "Oh, ready to go?"

"Ready to go where?" Yuna asked, despite the fact that Rikku was talking on the phone.

"Miniature golfing," Rikku beamed, "Okay Gippal, I'll be right out! I love you too!"

She hung up then and said, "Gotta go! Bye Yunie!"

"Bye," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "See you later."

"Yeah!" Rikku just said, and was out the door very quickly.

Yuna sighed and shook her head. She did not understand her cousin. She wondered if Gippal was as annoying as Rikku had been. She figured he couldn't be. There was no way anybody could be more annoying than Rikku had been. If she heard the name Gippal one more time, in fact, she figured she would scream.

Yuna rested her head in her hand one more time. Rikku seemed to really like to reinstate the fact that Tidus wasn't interested in her. Yuna's eyes drifted out the window, and toward Tidus' house. She bit her lip thoughtfully. Why wasn't he interested in her?

Yuna shook her head. She couldn't be thinking like that! He wasn't interested in her, and that was that. It was better that way anyway, because she knew she wasn't interested in him. Or was she?

Yuna sighed. She didn't know. A ways down from her on the table was Tidus' towel. She had washed it just earlier that morning, and figured she should take it to him. She didn't exactly want to see him, but she grabbed the towel anyway, and started toward his house.

She reached the door and had just rung the doorbell when Tidus answered.

"Oh, I thought maybe you were Gippal," Tidus said, sounding disappointed, "But I guess that was just me getting my hopes up."

"Things not going well between Gippal and you?" Yuna asked, following Tidus into his rather large and messy house.

"No, not at all," Tidus said, "And if I hear the name Rikku one more time, I'm going to flip out."

Yuna laughed and said, "And I thought I would flip out if I heard the name Gippal said once more!"

"What, Rikku at your place?" Tidus asked.

"She was," Yuna said, "She came to warn me to stay away from you."

"She would," Tidus said, looking angry, "That two-faced bitch."

"Hey! Don't talk about her like that!" Yuna cried.

"I was referring to Gippal," Tidus said, shaking is head, "I'm assuming he probably told Rikku some nasty things about me."

Yuna shrugged and said, "He may have."

"I trusted that asshole," Tidus said, "Anyway, can I help you with something?"

"Here's your towel," Yuna said, handing him the towel, "I washed it and everything."

"Thanks," Tidus said, "Sure you don't want to go to that blitz game tonight? I need to do something, or I'm going to go crazy."

"Throw a party," Yuna said, surprised that it was she that was giving him the idea.

"Uh…Gippal usually takes care of everything," Tidus said, looking sheepish, "I don't even know who to call, or what kind of beer people like, or…"

"Well, I guess you have to learn now, huh?"

Tidus just swallowed and said, "I can't believe he's acting this way!"

Yuna shrugged and said, "I guess love might do that to you."

"Ugh, don't call it that!" Tidus cried.

Yuna laughed and said, "Have you ever been in love, Tidus?"

"No," Tidus said, looking disgusted at the thought, "And I don't care to be."

"You don't want to get married and have a family?" Yuna asked, shocked.

"Nope. I don't ever want to calm down," Tidus said, "I just want to run around all the time and do whatever I like."

"Me too," Yuna said.

"So you've never been in love?" Tidus asked.

"No."

"Well, you seem to be pretty supportive of your cousin."

"I am," Yuna said, shrugging, "I have to be happy for her. You should be happy for Gippal too, Tidus. As his friend."

"Yeah, I guess," Tidus said, shrugging, "It's just that I'm really used to having all of the attention, you know."

"Oh, I know," Yuna said, shaking her head.

Tidus was silent for a while, before he suddenly perked up with a huge smile and said, "Hey, wanna play Frisbee?"

"Sorry Tidus," Yuna said, shaking her head, although a smile crept onto her lips, "But I can't be Gippal's replacement. Besides, I have to go do some baking for the bake sale."

"You know," Tidus said, his eyes resting onto her in a manner that she did not enjoy, "You should make some baked goods for our double party. I bet the crowd would love that."

"There is not going to be a double party," Yuna reminded him, but for some reason, her heart began to speed. She looked back at him, and right into his crystal blue eyes.

"Do-Do you wear contacts?" she asked then, hoping her voice didn't sound as jumpy as she thought it did.

"Nope, natural color," Tidus answered, "How about you?"

"No," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"They're blue, aren't they?" Tidus asked, leaning backwards to check himself in the mirror, "My old man really hates me for it."

"Why?" Yuna asked.

"Because he's jealous of my good looks," Tidus said, "As are all of Bevelle's male population. And some of the female population, although most of them just think I'm sexy."

Yuna couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you so full-of-yourself?" she asked, shaking her head.

"You don't think I have reason to be?"

His question shocked her. He had an almost shocked look on his face, as if he truly did believe that he had every right to be cocky.

"Well I…" Yuna trailed and she said, "It's tacky to tell someone how 'sexy' you are."

"Tacky, huh?" Tidus just said, sounding thoughtful, "Does it annoy you?"

"Slightly," Yuna said, and she shot him a challenging smile, "But most things you say annoy me…Slightly."

"Oh yeah?" Tidus asked, "Like what?"

His voice had dropped just a little bit, and Yuna knew he had switched into his flirtatious mode.

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it. With a small smile crawling onto her lips, she knew what her next move was going to be.

"You want to be flirtatious?" she said to him in her head, "Well, I can play this game too."

She gave him the most flirtatious smile she could manage then, and she said, "So, what time does the blitz game start?"

Tidus' eyes flashed and a look of shock spread across his face, but only momentarily. A smile spread across his lips slowly, and he said, "Seven."


	9. Blitzball

Yay, here's chapter 9! Thank you all for the reviews! They make me quite happy! In other words, Gackt is performing with S.K.I.N. (his new 'superband') in L.A., but I can't be there. Tragic, huh? However, anybody who read Number Thirty-Seven should know that I'm a huge hockey fan, and today I'm going to go see one of my team's ex-players as he brings the Stanley Cup to town! Yay! Haha, sorry...Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Blitzball

"So there are six people in the pool on one team, three forwards, two defensive players, and one goalie. The forwards' jobs are to score goals, and the defensive players and the goalie try to keep the ball from going into their goal. Got it?"

"Seems simple enough," Yuna said, "I can't believe how big these arenas are!"

"Yeah, and the ones I'll be playing in are gonna be even larger!" Tidus cried, and he waved at some people as they walked to their seats.

"You know a lot of people!" Yuna said, and Tidus led her straight to what appeared to be perfect seats.

"No, they know me," Tidus corrected her, "They're all parents of guys on the high school team, or people I've played with before, or my instructors, or…"

"You have blitzball instructors?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "I take blitz lessons. It isn't all natural talent, Yuna!"

"I assumed you just picked up a blitzball and you scored."

"It is in the genes," Tidus admitted, "When your old man's a blitz legend, you can't help but follow in his footsteps."

"I want to meet him," Yuna said, smiling, "I bet he's just like you."

"Please don't say that," Tidus said, shaking his head, "It creeps me out enough knowing that he's related to me, let alone the fact that he's my dad, let alone the fact that I act like him."

"Sorry," Yuna said, giving him a strange look, "I forgot that he's a touchy subject."

"Well, what about your dad, Yuna?" Tidus asked, "Is he a stuck-up rich snob?"

Yuna smiled and shook her head, "No, he's a great father."

"He must have you brainwashed," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"No, I don't think so—," Yuna started, only to get cut off by the announcer's voice.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" a loud, annoying voice burst into the air, "Tonight, your Bevelle Termites will take on the Zanarkand Giants!"

"The Termites?" Yuna cried, turning to Tidus with a look of belief on her face, "They're called the Termites?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Yeah, Bevelle sucks! But did you hear who we're playing? The Zanarkand Giants! Now that's a kick-ass team!"

Yuna laughed and said, "To be honest with you Tidus, I'm kind of scared."

"Scared? Of what?"

"All these people!" Yuna said, looking at all of the people around them.

"Yeah, what about them?" Tidus asked, shrugging.

"Um, besides us, is there a single person here who isn't drunk?"

Tidus looked around and said, "Uh, probably not. What, wanna get drunk too?"

"No!" Yuna cried, "But why are they all drunk?"

"These games are known as some of the craziest in Bevelle," Tidus said, "Why, that a problem?"

Yuna crossed her arms and said, "So for my first game, you take me to the craziest?"

"Yeah, it's fun!" Tidus said, "This is raw blitz, Yuna! You don't see this in the pros! So, want a beer?"

"I should have known you would take me to someplace like this!" Yuna cried, "I agreed to go with you, thinking I would see a nice, PG-rated blitzball game, but instead, you take me to this bar-like place!"

"Bar-like?" Tidus said, "Oh, you mean this place is kind of like a bar?"

Yuna just slapped her forehead softly and said, "Tidus, let's go. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Aw, come on Yuna! It's fun! I swear."

At that moment, the players swam out, and the people in the crowd stood, cheering loudly.

"Come on, stand!" Tidus said, pulling Yuna up with him excitedly, "See that guy on the Zanarkand team? He used to be my neighbor!"

"Ah, so he's the one who had to put up with you before I did," Yuna said, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah," Tidus said, "His sister babysat me."

Yuna laughed and said, "I bet you were a cute little kid."

"I was," Tidus said, smiling proudly, "I was a kid model. 'Til I started playing blitz, of course."

"What time did you start playing?" Yuna asked.

"When I was three, I started a kiddie league," Tidus said.

"At three?"

"Yeah, I think my earliest memory was this time I bit this kid in the pool. Dude, he bled and bled. Turns out he's now my blitz rival, this jerk over at Luca."

"You have a blitz rival?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "But he's not as good as me, so he's not really a rival."

"Are they starting?" Yuna asked, turning her attention back to the game.

"Yeah!" Tidus said, and then he yelled, "Come on Zanarkand!"

Right after Tidus yelled that, Zanarkand took hold of the ball and scored a goal.

Booing was heard throughout the crowd, but Tidus jumped up and said, "Alright, I bet a hundred gil that Zanarkand makes another goal in the next five minutes!"

"Tidus, what are you doing?" Yuna asked.

"I'll take part in the bet!" an older man said, pulling out one hundred gil, "Okay, starting now!"

"Anyone else?" Tidus said, "I can double it!"

"Alright, put me in too!" another man said.

"Tidus, that's two hundred gil!" Yuna said, "You just carry that around in your pockets?"

"Yeah!" Tidus said, pulling out a huge wad of gil, "You never know when you'll feel a bet coming on!"

As soon as he said that, Zanarkand once more got hold of the ball and scored.

"Yes!" Tidus cried, "Pay up guys!"

The two guys shook their heads and handed him his gil, saying, "I should have known better than to bet against you, Tidus!"

"That's right!" Tidus said, taking the money.

Yuna couldn't help but smile as Tidus held up the two hundred gil with a huge smile on his face.

"Victorious once again!" he said, sitting back down, "And Zanarkand's in the lead by two goals!"

"I think I want Bevelle to win!" Yuna said then, smiling, "I hope they make a goal soon!"

"I bet you a hundred gil that Bevelle doesn't score in this half," Tidus said, handing his hand out for Yuna to shake.

Yuna looked thoughtful, but she finally said, "Alright" and shook his hand.

"Yeah, come on Zanarkand!" Tidus yelled again, laughing, "Just so you know, Yuna, Bevelle has been scoreless for the last three games!"

"Yeah, but they have the ball now!" Yuna said, and she managed to get the courage up to yell, "Come on Termites!"

"No, let's go Giants!"

"You guys can do it, Termites!" Yuna yelled, raising her voice louder than Tidus'.

"You got it, Giants!" Tidus yelled, even louder.

"Termites!"

"Giants!"

"Termites!"

"Giaaaaaaaants!"

"Teeeeeermiiiiiiiiiiites!"

At that exact moment, the Termites scored.

The entire crowd began to cheer and jump, and Yuna turned to Tidus with a huge smile on her face and said, "Hand over the gil!"

Tidus shook his head, but handed her the gil.

"Beginner's luck," he said.

"Maybe," Yuna agreed, shrugging.

Soon, though, Bevelle was down by five points.  
"Okay, this is getting boring," Tidus said, "Blitz is only good when it's a close match. Obviously Zanarkand is way better."

"Poor Termites," Yuna said, shaking her head, "Who named them anyway?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Really wanna know?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, nodding.

"Okay, in any blitz league, Bevelle and Luca are always huge rivals. So, Bevelle's club team—this team—used to be called the something or other, but then the owner died. Luca bought the team, and changed the name to the Termites, and then sold them again, after making the new owners promise not to change the name. So now they're forever the Termites. See, Luca built the arena and everything. That's why it's so nice."

"All of that just to name the team?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, standing up, "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"No, I'm actually enjoying myself!" Yuna said, turning her attention back to blitz.

"Come to open blitz with me, and we'll play," Tidus said, "It's more fun to play anyway."

"I can't hold my breath that long," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"Can you hold it for a minute? We can play for just a minute. Or, you know, you can just come and watch me play sometime. I promise you I'm more interesting to watch than these guys."

"It's true!" the guy next to Tidus said, obviously having been eavesdropping on their conversation.

Tidus just smiled at him, and said, "Come on Yuna, let's go."

Tidus had to drag Yuna up, but she gave in, and followed him.

"You were sure quick to get out of there," Yuna said, noticing an urgency in Tidus' eyes.

"I was afraid," Tidus said, "That that guy was going to start asking me about what college I was choosing."

"What college are you choosing?" Yuna asked, remembering the numerous newspaper articles.

"I don't know yet," Tidus said, shrugging, "And I don't like to talk about it."

"Well, where to now?" Yuna asked, "Home?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, opening the door for her. He had a distant look in his eyes, and Yuna knew he wasn't in the mood to talk.

Once the two were in Tidus' car—his third car, the one that "wasn't as cool as others"—Tidus said, "So, did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, nodding.

"Wanna watch me play at open blitz tomorrow?" Tidus asked her then, smiling.

"Well," Yuna said, leaning back, "I'd love to, but you know, I wouldn't want to get the wrong idea."

Tidus laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. The only time a girl I like is invited to watch me blitz is if they're a cheerleader."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I have to bake and stuff for that bake sale, remember?"

"Ah, forget the bake sale," Tidus said, "Can't you just donate money? Aren't your rich?"

Yuna looked at the floor and said, "My father's only paying for half of my college. He says I need to learn to be independent. So I'm trying to get as many scholarships as I can. I already have quite a few, but I need more. It'd be cheating if I just gave the money!"

"So what?" Tidus asked, shrugging.

"When you blitz, do you cheat?" Yuna asked, giving Tidus a questionable look.

"Of course not!" Tidus said, "But I don't need to!"

"I don't need to either," Yuna said, "So I have to bake."

"I think I want to have a party tomorrow," Tidus said, "I found Gip's list of party stuff."

"Oh," Yuna said, looking at the ground.

Tidus looked as if he was having some sort of internal conflict, when he finally said, slowly, as if it pained him to say it, "Is that alright with you?"

Yuna looked out the window. Clouds had moved in, and she figured it was going to rain, despite the fact that it had been a mostly rainless summer.

"You know," Yuna said, slowly, "The reason I'd never seen a blitzball game before was because my father wouldn't allow it. He said it was a dirty sport and that instead of watching it, it would be better that I studied. And so I studied. Going tonight was…Really fun. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Tidus said, shrugging, "It must suck, never being able to see a blitz game."

"I didn't know what I was missing out on," Yuna said, and she looked at him and smiled, "But it was a lot of fun. I wish I could have watched more games. And I do want to see you play, Tidus, I really do."

Yuna swallowed, took a deep breath, and continued, "I don't mean to sound corny, or stupid, or anything, but when I'm around you, it feels okay to do things I'm not supposed to do." Yuna laughed, "Maybe it's because I realize how well-behaved I am compared to you."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Tidus asked, shaking his head.

"Actually, it is," Yuna said, smiling, "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that…Maybe going to one of your parties wouldn't be such a bad idea. Especially if it was going to be your last party."

"What are you trying to say?" Tidus asked her, now looking suspicious.

Yuna smiled a little wider and said, "Tidus, I want to have a double-yard party, or whatever you call it."

"Seriously?" Tidus asked, his face lighting up as well, "That's awesome! Tomorrow night?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, "But no alcohol!"

"Yuna, there has to be alcohol!" Tidus cried, "This is gonna be the biggest party in Bevelle! Anybody who is anybody is going to be there."

"Fine, but you're keeping it stashed at your house. Oh, and if my house or yard gets messed up, you're cleaning it!"

"Not a problem!" Tidus said, "Yevon Yuna, you have no idea how much this rocks!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," Yuna said, shaking her head, "Because to be perfectly honest, I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be," Tidus said, "I'll take care of everything. It's gonna be a blast, Yuna! Let's see…Damn, I could really use Gippal's help, but I think we'll have it start at six."

"Six?  
"Yeah. We'll have to have a lot of food."

"Okay, stop talking about it before I change my mind!" Yuna said, "But you have to promise that you will have no more parties after this one."

"Right," Tidus said, "I promise. Although the rest of the summer is going to be awfully boring…"

Yuna simply smiled and said, "You know, I'm almost excited about this."

Tidus smiled back at her and said, "Me too."

-

"Oh Gippal! Guess what? Tonight, Yuna and I are having a double-yard party! You coming?"

Gippal was silent, but then he said, "Tonight? Ti…Tonight's not good."

"What the hell do you mean?" Tidus cried, sitting upright. He had been slouching on his couch, completely covered in chip crumbs, where he'd been for the last three hours.

"Tonight's not good," Gippal simply repeated himself.

"Gip, this is gonna be the hugest party in Bevelle! Why the hell is it not a good night? Yuna's not going to go for just any night!"

"First of all, what the hell did you do to her?" Gippal asked, changing the conversation around, "I mean, you had to have drugged her or something to get her to go along with that!"

"Dude, she's in love with me," Tidus said, smirking despite the fact that no one could see him.

"Yevon, what the hell did you do?" Gippal said once again.

"This isn't about Yuna," Tidus said, "Why the hell can't you come?"

"It's Rikku and my one-week anniversary," Gippal said, "I'm taking her out to dinner."

"Yevon, please tell me you're kidding!" Tidus cried, "One-week? You're going to miss this for a one-week anniversary? Yevon, she has you whipped!"

"Ti, this means a lot to us," Gippal said.

"You sound like a girl!" Tidus said, "Shit, Gip, Rikku's got you wrapped around her finger! Break it up and get over here to help with this party!"

"Look Tidus, I don't know what you did to Yuna, but Rikku is not going to be happy when she finds out. She's pretty protective of her."

Tidus laughed and said, "Whatever, Yuna's not going to admit that she's in love with me."

"Look, I gotta go," Gippal said then, "Have fun at your party."

"What, so you think you're totally more mature than me now 'cause you have a seventeen-year-old girlfriend?" Tidus just said, shaking his head, "How lame, Gip. You even been in her pants yet?"

"It's not all about that, Tidus," Gippal said, "I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything, but you really need to grow up, okay? And leave Yuna alone, will you? She's not your type. You should have figured that out already."

"Gip, after this party, she's outta here! You know that!"

"Stop playing her, Tidus!"

"No, Gip, trust me," Tidus said, "I'm not playing her. I told her how it was flat-out. I said, "Yuna, don't get the wrong idea. I am not interested in you as anything more than a friend."'

"Yeah sure," Gippal said, "More like you said, "Hey Yuna, I'm good-looking and awesome in bed. Come on over."'

"Dude, you know she wouldn't go for that," Tidus said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, hey! Rikku's here. Gotta go man. Good luck at your party!"

"Gip wait!" Tidus cried, but Gippal hung up.

"Yevon damn you," Tidus said, and he slammed his phone shut.

Rolling his eyes, Tidus stood up and brushed the crumbs off of himself, and opened his phone again, and began to make phone calls. It was going to be a long afternoon.

-

"A party? You? No way Yunie!" Rikku cried.

"I know," Yuna said, "Hey, where are you? Are you at home?"

"No, I'm at Gippal's," Rikku answered, "He's on the toilet though. I guess he had some leftovers for breakfast that aren't really sitting right in his stomach. Poor guy!"

Yuna rolled her eyes despite her attempts not to—although it didn't really matter, since Rikku couldn't see her anyway—and said, "Well, um, are you going to come to the party?"

"Can't," Rikku answered, "Gippal and I are going to dinner tonight! Sorry Yunie!"

"Can't you come after dinner?" Yuna asked, biting her lip nervously, "I'm kind of scared."

"You'll be alright Yunie!" Rikku said, "Although, why are you having a party with him anyway? Didn't I tell you he was dangerous?"

Once again, Yuna rolled her eyes. How had her cousin gone from stalking Tidus to being the one to tell her that he was dangerous?

"See, I'm nervous," Yuna said, "I don't know what to expect!"

"Then why'd you go along with it?" Rikku asked, "Go tell him you're not interested."

"I…" Yuna started, only to trail. She never did get to finish for then she heard another voice in the phone.

"I gotta go, Yunie. Gippal and I are going to help my dad work on his new airship! Talk to you later!"

Rikku hung up before Yuna could even say goodbye.

Yuna sighed and shut her phone. Her eyes glanced outside and toward Tidus' house, where she saw people moving things into the house. She knew it was time to get ready for the party, whether she could prepare herself or not.

Part of her wanted to call him and tell him to cancel, but she just couldn't. Biting her lip again, she stood up and decided to simply not worry about it.

She just had to trust Tidus. And of course, keep in mind that it would be the last party, and the last time that she wouldn't be able to get to sleep. Knowing that made her feel a little bit better, and she began to prepare herself the best she could.


	10. Combined Yards

Oh wow, I came rather close to forgetting to update! Ahh! I was a little wrapped up in Gackt news...Heh, sorry guys. Well, other than the fact that it's an hour later than I usually try to update, here is chapter 10! Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Combined Yards

"No, no, no!" Tidus said, walking around her, "You are not wearing that outfit."

"Why not?" Yuna asked, "I didn't ask for your permission anyway. I'm wearing it."

"Fine, if you want to look lame," Tidus said, "Come on, let loose, Yuna!"

"No!" she said, shaking her head, "It's almost six. Shouldn't people be coming?"

"Anytime now," Tidus said, "Doesn't everything look perfect?"

Yuna looked around her and she had to agree. Were it not her party, and if she didn't believe that parties were bad, she would definitely want to go to this one. It was going to be awesome.

Well, it would be awesome, but since it was hers, and since she didn't believe in parties, it wasn't going to be awesome.

"Ah, the party is starting!" Tidus cried, "See you around, Yuna!"

"Wait!" Yuna cried, and grabbed his arm, which shocked both Yuna and Tidus. Yuna immediately dropped his arm, and she said, "Um, I don't know anybody here."

"I don't know too many people," Tidus admitted, "Just go dance or something."

"I-I don't like to dance," Yuna said, her eyes beginning to open in fear as people started to really start pouring into their yards.

"Then just eat," Tidus said, nodding toward the buffets that had been set up, "Or, take my advice and drink this." Tidus reached down and tossed Yuna a beer.

"Ick, no!" Yuna said, dropping it.

Tidus shook his head and said, "Okay, go lock yourself on your balcony and read." Yuna couldn't help but notice a tone of annoyance in his voice.

Yuna bit her lip and she said, "Is that what you want me to do? Just go lock myself away and read?"

Tidus looked at her with an expression that was hard for Yuna to read, and he then laughed and said, "That would be wonderful, Yuna."

Yuna looked around her and at all of the people and said, "You're right, that's what I should do. You just wanted my yard to double the size of yours."

"Yeah, and I figured your pool could use some use," Tidus said, laughing, "See you around, Yuna."

He walked away from her then, leaving her with her mouth agape.

"That's the only reason you did anything with me?" Yuna cried, "I thought we were friends, Tidus!"

"We are," Tidus said, "And friends understand when Tidus wants to get laid."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuna cried.

"It means," Tidus said, his look of annoyance growing more and more, "That I'm trying to pick up a lady, and can't very well do that with you attached to my side."

"But Tidus—!"

"See that chick right there," Tidus interrupted her, pointing to a large busted girl with blonde hair, "She's the head cheerleader over at Bevelle University."

"She's ugly," Yuna said, although she wasn't, "Why would you want to go out with a girl like her?"

Tidus laughed and said, "You make me laugh, Yuna. No one wants to go out with her." He patted her on the head then, and said, "See you around."

"You're such a jerk!" Yuna yelled after Tidus as he started toward the blonde, "A big jerk and I…" Yuna trailed. It was no use. He was already sweet-talking the cheerleader, who had to be at least two years older than him.

Yuna crossed her arms and looked at the ground. She should have known that Tidus wouldn't exactly be hanging out with her at the party, but she hadn't. She hadn't even thought about it. She had instead thought about it as more of a housewarming party or something, where Tidus stood there, side-by-side, greeting the guests. Of course, it was nothing like that.

Yuna felt her eyes begin to grow moist, so she quickly gave her eyes a rub and started toward her house. She had been foolish. Tidus didn't even have interest in her as a friend. He had just wanted an excuse to throw a larger party than ever. For all Yuna knew it wasn't even going to be his last.

Bursting into her house, Yuna was shocked to see people all over her living room. She walked past them all and upstairs, only even more shocked to see couples making out on her couch and anywhere else possible.

Now completely disgusted, Yuna grabbed her book, after having to tell a drunk girl to get off of it, and marched out to her balcony. She swiftly locked the door behind her, glad that no one was out there, but she knew it would be impossible to concentrate. If she had thought having a party next door was bad, having one in her yard was twice as bad.

"What was I thinking?" Yuna cried, throwing her book on her chair. She marched over to the sides of the balcony and looked down at the party below her. She saw Tidus and the cheerleading grinding each other, which only upset her.

Why was she getting upset? It was just Tidus, her stupid neighbor, grinding some stupid girl. What did it matter to her? This was the real Tidus, the true Tidus. She had been stupid to even think that he had ever hung out with her to be her friend. He wasn't her friend. He was just her stupid neighbor, a lesson she had learned long ago, and a lesson that she shouldn't have forgotten.

Tears began to form in Yuna's eyes again. She knew that the option of Tidus not being her friend wasn't what was bothering her.

Yuna looked down at that cheerleader. What did she have that Yuna didn't have? What did Rikku have that Yuna didn't have? Yuna swallowed, and remembered that Tidus had said that she should be jealous of Rikku. But why? Why did he like them, but not her? What was wrong with her?

Yuna looked down at herself. Perhaps it was because she was overly conservative. Perhaps it was because she never let loose. She bit her lip in thought. Was it worth changing it? For what, Tidus? Closing her eyes, Yuna sat on her chair. The sooner the night was over, the better. At least that was for certain.

-

"Damn, where'd she go?" Tidus said out loud as he returned with two margaritas in his hand. He looked around him, but the cheerleader—whose name Tidus didn't even know—was not around.

"Maybe she went to piss or something," Tidus said, setting the drinks down at the table. He was about to simply target another girl when his eyes caught Yuna, up on the balcony, looking rather frustrated.

She was sitting in her chair with her legs up and her head in her hands. He squinted. Was she crying?"

"Who cares about her," he said softly, and then looked around him. This party was huge indeed, and he was sure Bevelle's entire college-aged population was there. Still, there was hardly a soul he recognized in the crowd, and the people he did recognize weren't exactly friends of his.

He noticed a few of his high school teammates, but they were all too busy with their girlfriends, and he noticed a few college players he'd talked to before, but they were all busy drinking as fast as they could. He sighed.

His eyes went back to the balcony, and he managed to catch Yuna just going back into her house. Without even thinking, Tidus started running toward the door of her house, deciding to catch her. He'd been a jerk, and he knew that, but he just needed to explain to her that when it came to parties, that was how things worked.

He ran into her house and up the stairs, and caught her just as she was about to go into her bedroom.

"Yuna!" Tidus called, running up to her. She turned to face him, and sure enough, Tidus could tell that she'd been crying.

"Look Yuna, I didn't mean to be a jerk, okay? I just—."

Yuna cut him off and said, "Where's the cheerleader?"

"I lost her," Tidus said, "She's like four years older than me anyway. She's probably a little out of my league."

Yuna just rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going to try to go to bed, alright?"

Tidus smiled and said, "Nah, come party with me!"

"No thank you," Yuna said, not smiling in return.

"Aw, come on Yuna! I said I was sorry."

"So you get ditched by the cheerleader and then I'm okay to hang out with?" Yuna cried, "I'm sorry Tidus, but it doesn't work like that."

"Yu-Yuna, I didn't ditch you for the cheerleader. We just couldn't hang out."

"Right," Yuna said, and she looked as if she could tear up again, "Because you have no interest in me."

"Right," Tidus said, looking happy that she understood, "Whoa, what, did you think I did? Y-Yuna, I…"

"No Tidus," Yuna said, shaking her head, "I didn't think you did. I just…Why not? What's wrong with me?" A tear slipped down Yuna's face and she said, "I know this sounds hypocritical, but I don't like you and I don't want you to like me, but why don't you? Is there something wrong with me? Is there a reason you'd choose Rikku or the cheerleader, or whoever, over me?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Yuna, there's nothing wrong with you!"

Yuna just shook her head and said, "There has to be."

Tidus laughed again and said, "Yuna, that's the reason I'm not all over you. It's because there's nothing wrong with you. Rikku was weak. She was an easy target. The cheerleader is a whore. Another easy target. Trust me Yuna, that's it. But you, you're strong and impossible to break. You stick to your guns, no matter what. Your self-esteem could kill mine, and I'm a pretty cocky guy. But the truth is, guys like me prey on weak girls." Tidus shrugged and continued, saying, "It's probably because I'm a jerk, but the truth is, I don't have the balls to seriously hit on a girl like you. You intimidate me Yuna, and trust me, it's not easy for me to say that."

Yuna couldn't help but smile. He was smiling an utterly sheepish smile, and he almost acted as if he couldn't stand still. He was rocking back and forth nervously to some music that couldn't be heard, and his eyes shone brightly, although nervously. Was she making him nervous?

Yuna smiled and said, "But the truth is, you intimidate me."

Tidus shook his head and said, "Well, don't let me intimidate you. I'm really not worth being intimidated by."

"So did you just throw this party with me to get a girl?" Yuna asked, shrugging, "And that's the only reason you hung out with me."

"Well, at first it was kind of that way," Tidus said quickly, "But I really like hanging out with you. It's the truth."

Yuna smiled and he did as well.

"Actually, the truth is—," Tidus started, only to suddenly get cut off by a voice behind him.

"Tidey! There you are!"

Both Tidus and Yuna turned around, only to see Tidus' 'girlfriend', Dona.

"Dona," Tidus said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Wasn't this my idea?" Dona asked, and she pushed Yuna out of the way to stand right in front of him, "I can't believe you didn't call me to tell me that it was happening!"

"I thought you were at cheer camp," Tidus said, as Dona wrapped her arms tightly around him, "Uh, why aren't you at cheer camp?"

"I wouldn't miss this party!" Dona cried, "Besides, my entire cheer camp is here! It was totally my idea to take them here, too."

"Great," Tidus said, and his eyes went to Yuna, who was just standing there, watching the two.

"Oh, is this your neighbor?" Dona asked then, facing Yuna, "Nice house. Mind if we use your room?"

"Um…" Yuna trailed, and her eyes met Tidus', who was giving her a shocked look.

"Dona, we can just go to my room…"

"Don't be silly! There are probably already a ton of people at your place. But this place is like dead! This is your room right here, right?"

"It's alright," Yuna said, although her stomach was doing flips at the thought, "See you later."

"Yuna," Tidus said after her, but Yuna knew he wasn't going to turn away from it. She simply walked back toward her balcony, wondering where she was going to sleep for the night.

Surprisingly, she wasn't upset at Tidus anymore. What he had said about her had actually been…Well, rather nice and refreshing to hear. She smiled despite herself. After all, she shouldn't be happy with Tidus. He was probably having sex in her bedroom after all! But at least it was with his girlfriend, and not some older cheerleader he didn't know. Yuna knew that shouldn't make it all better, but it did. She took a chair and watched the party down below her. Then, with a small smile on her lips, she drifted off into a surprisingly nice sleep.

-

Yuna took a sip of her tea. It was going on eleven and she was sitting in her kitchen. For the most part, everybody was gone. She had come across a few people sleeping on her couch, and she assumed there were even more people at Tidus' house. Her yard was trashed with beer cans, but otherwise everything was in perfect order.

Yuna was still wearing her outfit from the night before. She had actually gone to shower, only to remember that her room was locked tightly. She stared into her tea. She was surprised that she had slept as well as she had, actually.

She heard someone come shuffling down the stairs, and soon enough, Tidus walked into the kitchen, wearing an urgent look, as if he had something important to tell her. His hair was everywhere and he was just wearing his shorts from the day before, and of course no shirt. Of course, that was a sight that Yuna was getting used to seeing.

"Yuna!" he said, walking up to her quickly and taking a seat next to her, "I can totally explain."

"Tea?" Yuna just asked him, and poured him a glass anyway, despite the fact that he hadn't had time to answer.

"Uh, thanks," Tidus said as Yuna slid the cup over to him and took a sip of her own tea, "Look Yuna, I'm sorry for what happened last night. I really would have taken it to my room."

"Just wash the sheets please," Yuna said, "Actually, go ahead and throw them away. You didn't use the quilt, did you? My grandmother made that."

"I didn't use the quilt," Tidus said, "Yuna, really, I'm so sorry. I'll—."

"Gippal called," Yuna said, holding up Tidus' phone that had been left there for reasons unknown to Tidus, "I told him the party went well."

"You talked to him?" Tidus asked, seeming shocked, "Uh, did you tell him…?"

"Tell him about what?"

"Dona," Tidus said.

"No, I didn't," Yuna said, taking another sip of her tea.

"Yuna, I really am sorry."

"It's alright," Yuna said, "Like I said, just throw the sheets away. Is Dona still sleeping?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "Yuna, I don't like her or anything."

Yuna laughed and said, "You just slept with her, Tidus. It's alright that you like her."

"But I don't," Tidus said, "It's just that I don't know how to break up with her."

Yuna swallowed and said, "Just tell her that it's over."

"You're right," Tidus said, and he stared hard at his tea, "I'm really sorry…"

"I'm surprised you're sorry," Yuna said, shaking her head, "You seemed pretty anxious last night."

"Uh, yeah," Tidus said, and he stared even harder at his tea.

"Well, I hope you had a good time," Yuna said, standing up and taking her tea to the sink, where she rinsed out her cup.

"It was horrible," Tidus said, laughing slightly, "I couldn't…" He trailed then and stared back at his tea.

The two sat there in silence then, until they heard water running from upstairs.

"Dona must be up," Tidus said, sighing, "I'm going to break up with her."  
"Really Tidus, don't feel bad for what you did," Yuna said, shocked at what she was saying, "At least you had the decency to go into a room. Usually you two just go at it in front of everybody."

"We haven't done that in a while, have we?" Tidus asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It's been a little while I guess," Yuna said, shrugging.

The two sat there in silence again, until they heard another person come down the stairs, and sure enough, there was Dona.

"There you are!" she said as soon as she saw Tidus, "You know I hate to shower alone!"

Tidus gave Yuna an annoyed look and he said, "I know."

Dona opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped. Her eyes went from Tidus to Yuna, and then back to Tidus, and a small smile crept across her face.

"Ah, so you two have a thing going on now, am I right?" she asked, and she weaseled her way right onto Tidus' lap, "Well, Tidus' neighbor—I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Yuna," Tidus and Yuna said at the same time.

"Right, Yuna. Well, Yuna, Tidus and I have been a couple for some time now. I was homecoming queen and he was my king, and we were prom king and queen. We're unbreakable."

"Actually, Tidus and I don't have anything going on," Yuna said, giving Dona a shocked smile.

"Don't lie, honey," Dona said, "It's alright. I know Tidus sleeps around."

"…You know that, and you're okay with that?" Yuna asked, her smile disappearing.

"Dona, you don't have to tell her that," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"No, really. It's okay. Tidus and I have what we like to call an open relationship. I sleep around too, and he knows that. It's okay."

"It is?" Yuna said, looking at Tidus, who just shook his head at her.

"Right, so even though Tidus may sleep with you on occasion, he's really still mine," Dona said, "Just so you know."

"I don't sleep with him," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"It's alright," Tidus said then, his voice shocking Yuna, "You can tell her. Yes Dona, Yuna and I sleep with each other all the time."

"Um, no we don't," Yuna said, shaking her head quickly.

"In fact," Tidus continued, ignoring Yuna, "Yuna is my number one. You're the side girl, Dona."

"Excuse me?" Dona cried, jumping off of his lap, "You're kidding me!"

"No," Tidus said, "Last night wasn't my first night having sex in that room, and it's definitely not going to be my last. Well, it'll be my last with you…"

Dona let out a little squeal and she slapped Tidus, but he just took it, and crossed his arms and said, "See you around Dona."

"You know," Dona said, her voice high, "You could do so much better than that little wench! Is she even a cheerleader?"

"I'm over cheerleaders," Tidus said, "Get lost. You didn't even give me a good lay last night."

Dona looked like she didn't know what to say, and she finally cried, "Whatever! I have plenty of guys I can go to. Forget you, Tidus!"

"Bye!" Tidus just called after her as she stomped out, "Ha, how was that?"

"You didn't have to tell her those lies!" Yuna cried, and she looked angry.

"What, it doesn't matter. It's not going to ruin either of our reputations. No one believes Dona anyway."

"Tidus, that's not the point! You lied!"

"It's not a big deal," Tidus said, "She's out of my hair now. You should be happy for me."

"No, I'm not!" Yuna said, "You were completely dishonest with her!"

"So I exaggerated a little," Tidus said, "Big deal."

"You didn't even exaggerate! You flat-out lied!"

"Look, I gotta get these yards cleaned."

"Don't change the subject!"

"I didn't lie," Tidus said, "You and I do have something going on."

"We do not," Yuna said, looking disgusted.

"We do too and you know it!" Tidus said, and he gave her a cheeky smile, "See you around. I'll have these yards cleaned faster than you can say Zanarkand Abes!"

"Zanarkand what?" Yuna just said, but Tidus was soon out the door.

Yuna was about to chase after him, but her phone rang. She answered it quickly, especially after noticing that it was her father.

"Hi!" she greeted him.

"Hello," he said, his voice sounding slightly hurried, "I okayed it for you and three friends to go down to the beach house if you want next week."

"Really?" Yuna cried, her eyes lighting up. Her father had a family beach house in Besaid, and Rikku and her usually spent a week full of fun down there.

"Yeah. So gather up four of you and head on down. I'm sure your Uncle Cid has the airship up and working?"

Yuna smiled widely and she said, "Thanks Dad!"

"Not a problem," her father said, "But uh, Yuna, I'm afraid I do have some bad news. You know how I promised to take you to your college orientation? Well, I'm going to have to set you up with my assistant, is that alright?"

Yuna's heart dropped. She should have known that his gift didn't come without strings.

"Yeah, that's fine," Yuna lied.

"And Issaru's parent-child garden party is going to have to be cancelled as well," her father said, simply continuing.

"That's fine," Yuna lied again, her heart dropping further.

"Anyway, I should be home in late August!" her father said, as if that news would cheer her up, "I'd love to chat more about how your summer is going, but I have a meeting in ten. Goodbye Yuna!"

"Goodbye," Yuna said, but only to the click, for her father hung up before she could speak.

With her heart still low, Yuna simply picked up her phone, and slowly dialed Rikku's number. At least going to Besaid would allow her to get away from everything else that was going on. Or so she hoped.


	11. Uncertain Plans

Wow, chapter 11 already! Uh-oh, I have to get writing...I'm on a small stuck-point on chapter 16! Eep! Oh well, I'm sure I'll get over it soon. Anyway, I personally really like the chapters that are coming, so I hope you enjoy! AND, happy (early?) 4th of July to all of you Americans, and if you're not American, well, it is Gackt's birthday! Haha, which is totally means for celebration! Haha, enjoy!

Chapter 11: Uncertain Plans

"Yes! I was wondering when your dad would tell us it was time to go to Besaid!" Rikku squealed, "How many people did he say we could take?"

"Two more besides us," Yuna answered, "I was thinking of maybe inviting Paine?"

"Paine's on that study abroad program, remember?" Rikku said.

"Um, how about Lucil?" Yuna asked, "Elma?"

"They're both interning at that camp by Luca, remember? Everybody is except for us!"

"That's right," Yuna said, leaning back in her chair, "Why didn't we do that again?"

"Who knows?" Rikku said, "Because we wanted to go to Besaid instead! Okay Yunie, I know this is going to sound weird and you're going to be totally against it, but can we maybe invite…Gippal?"

"Definitely not!" Yuna cried, "What is my father going to think when he finds out we invited a boy? He's going to be ticked!"

"Ah, come on Yunie! There's no one else we can invite!"

"Then it can just be you and me!" Yuna said, smiling, "It'll still be fun. We'll go to the beach and hang out, get pedicures and manicures, massages, facials…"

"But Yunie, it'll be during Gippal and my two-week anniversary!"

"Oh please, Rikku, you two need a break from each other! Besides, what's Gippal going to do when we get manicures and pedicures? Please don't tell me you want to skip out on that!"

"I know!" Rikku said, her voice raising, "Invite Tidus! Then those two can hang out!"

"Weren't you just telling me not to hang out with Tidus?" Yuna cried, "Remember?"

"Well…Yeah, but," Rikku said, slowly, and she sounded confused, "Didn't he dump his girlfriend to be with you?"

"What?" Yuna cried.

"He just talked to Gippal, and he said that he dumped his girlfriend, because he slept with you, or something like that."

"He's telling lies," Yuna said, shaking her head, "We did nothing of the sort."

"Well, I figured that part was a lie," Rikku said, "But he did dump his girlfriend for you, right?"

"No, I don't know why he dumped her," Yuna said, "And no, neither of them are coming to Besaid."

"Aw, come on Yunie! Okay, I really did think that Tidus was a horrid player, but come on, there must have been a reason he dumped that girl! Gippal said they were going out for years! They had history together like none other! True, they spent most of their time cheating on each other, but still. And then he meets you and just breaks up with her?"

"Rikku, just a week ago, you told me that a guy like Tidus would never have any interest in a girl like me. And now you're saying that he dumped his girlfriend for me?"

"Well…Maybe he didn't for sure, but he definitely dumped her for some reason or other. Anyway, please Yunie! Please let them come!"

"No Rikku! My father would never allow me to invite guys. It's just something he wouldn't like, and you know that!"

"He won't even know!" Rikku cried, "Oh please Yunie! Please!"

"The answer is no, Rikku! You've spent the entire last week with him anyway. Not to be mean or anything, but it's making me sick."

Rikku laughed and she said, "Don't be jealous Yunie!"

"I'm not jealous!" Yuna cried, "What is to be jealous of?"

"Yunie, you're jealous because Gippal takes all of my time from you. Plus, it's natural to be upset that you don't have a boyfriend."

"Rikku, you have it all wrong!" Yuna cried, and at that moment, none other than Tidus walked into her house, as if he owned the place, wearing a huge smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Yuna pointed to the phone before he could utter a sound. A pout came across his face, and he walked up quickly to Yuna, and before she could respond, took the phone from her and said, "She'll have to call you back, bye!" and he hung up.

"Hey!" Yuna cried, "Rikku and I were discussing something very important!"

"Not as important as what I'm about to tell you!" Tidus said, "I just got off the phone with the editor of the Bevelle University newspaper, and our party is most likely going to be voted Bevelle's best party of the year!"

"Uh, great," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "What was so wonderful about it anyway?"

"I guess the food was good," Tidus said, "Your baked goods were definitely a nice touch."

"You mean my baked items for the bake sale?" Yuna cried, "You put those out?"

"Yeah, those cookies were excellent."

"Give me that phone," Yuna cried then, "Rikku and I are in the midst of planning our summer trip."

"You go on a summer trip? What, to camp or something?"

"No, it's a secret, and I can't tell you," Yuna said, taking her phone from him.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll want to follow me, and I could really use a week without you," Yuna said, and she gave him a cute little smile.

She dialed Rikku's number then, while Tidus stood there looking rather hurt.

"Hey Rikku, sorry about that," Yuna said as soon as she heard Rikku's voice.

"Was that Tidus?"

"Yeah, it was," Yuna said, and then she had to turn and say, "Tidus, that's my lunch, not yours!" for Tidus had sat down to the sandwich that Yuna had prepared for herself.

"But I already took a bite," Tidus said with his mouth full.

"Oh cute, he's eating your lunch?" Rikku's voice was heard, "Ask him if he wants to go to Besaid! Ask him, ask him!"

"No!" Yuna cried, "They aren't going. Goodbye, Rikku!"

Yuna hung up then, and shook her head.

"They aren't going where?" Tidus asked, "And are 'they' Gippal and me?"

"Why would you think that?" Yuna asked, shaking her head, "'They' are Lucil and Elma."

"Me and Gippal!" Tidus just said, giving Yuna a cheeky smile, "So where are we going?"

"Nowhere!" Yuna cried, "You two aren't going anywhere."

"Aw, come on Yuna, a nice trip away from here would do us both good, and do some good for our relationship."

"Tidus, we don't have a relationship!" Yuna cried, "And I can assure you that we'll have even less of a relationship if you come!"

Tidus was silent, but he said, "Is that what you really think? Do I really mean nothing to you?"

"I mean nothing to you!" Yuna said, "I'm just the girl you use to break up with your girlfriend, which gives people the wrong idea, because word seems to travel pretty quickly."

Tidus' mouth opened and he furrowed his eyebrows and said, "Is that what you think you are to me? Just some girl I use? Yuna, you don't even understand! You think I'm manipulative? No, Dona is the manipulative one. I've been trying to break up with her for years, but every time I try, I end up having sex with her! Finally, this morning, when I was with you, I got the courage to break up with her. True, I stretched the truth a little, but the point is, she's out of my hair! You have no idea how awesome that feels. And I really couldn't have done it without you!"

"What do I have to do with anything?" Yuna cried, "How do I give you the strength to break up with your slutty girlfriend?"

"Because!" Tidus cried, standing up, "I look at you, and remind myself that I'd rather have a girl like you than her any day! And then the words just came to my mouth, and Dona was out of here."

Tidus' words took Yuna aback. Before she could respond, he had walked out the door, and was heading across Yuna's now-clean yard toward his own.

"Tidus wait!" Yuna cried, and started toward him, only to stop as her phone suddenly started to ring.

Yuna sighed and turned back to answer her phone, knowing it was Rikku.

"Please Yunie!" were Rikku's first words.

Yuna looked back outside just as Tidus climbed the steps to his deck and went into his house, and said, "I don't know Rikku. I don't understand Tidus right now."

"Why? What'd he do?"

"He…I don't know," Yuna said, shaking her head, "He told me that I gave him the strength to break up with his girlfriend because he'd rather have a girl like me."

"See!" Rikku shrieked in Yuna's ear, "I told you he broke up with her for you!"

"I don't think that's it though," Yuna said, "Besides being his normal flirty self, Tidus hasn't made any sign that he likes me."

"Uh, he just flat-out told you, Yunie. Now invite Gippal and him!"

Yuna shook her head, "I can't, Rikku. Especially if he likes me!"

"Why not?" Rikku said, loudly.

Yuna swallowed, and she said, "Because Tidus isn't my type, and I don't care what he says, I'm not his. He's…He's Tidus!"

"Tidus the hottie," Rikku said.

"Tidus who you were telling me to stay away from just the other day!" Yuna cried, "Rikku, I don't understand you."

"Look Yunie," Rikku said, and Yuna knew she was cutting to the point, "Gippal feels horrible for missing your party, and to be honest, I do too. So Gippal wants to make it up by hanging out with Tidus more, and I want to hang out with you more, so Gippal and I started thinking, and we think that you two should just hook up, and then we can double date!"

"Or," Yuna said, growing angry, "You can be without Gippal for ten minutes and come and visit me!"

"Yunie," Rikku said, her voice rising as well, "Gippal and I are in love. You just don't understand because you've never been in love before!"

"I have too!" Yuna cried then, and she instantly shut her mouth.

"What? With who?" Rikku cried, "You've never even crushed on someone!"

"My father's going to freak if he finds out that I invited two guys," Yuna just said, her voice cracking in defeat.

"What? What do you mean?" Rikku asked, her voice growing rushed, "Yunie, if you do this, I swear to Yevon that I will do whatever you want! If you just want to hang out with me, I'll just hang out with you!"

"Whoa, hold on there," Yuna said, biting her lip nervously, "There are going to be some rules."

"Of course!" Rikku said.

"The boys will sleep in separate rooms than us."

"Got it."

"The boys will not be allowed to see us past ten."

"…Um…Okay…"

"There will be a girls-only day."

"Okay."

"If Tidus gets annoying, you have to make sure he stays away from me."

"Alright."

"Even if that means sending him home with Gippal."

"…Fine."

"Got it?" Yuna asked.

"Got it Yunie! Oh Yevon, I'm so excited! I can't wait to tell Gippal that you okayed it! This is going to be a blast Yunie, I swear! You'll get to know Gippal better, and I'll get to know Tidus better! It'll be so perfect! And tomorrow, we'll go shopping to get some clothes, just you and me! Okay?"

Yuna had to smile at her cousins excited state, and she said, "Alright. Goodbye, Rikku."

"Bye!" Rikku said, and Yuna heard her squeal before Yuna hung up.

"This is a bad idea," Yuna said, wondering why she had changed her mind, actually. She sighed, knowing that it was simply to change the subject. It had worked nicely, too. Still, having Tidus in the same house with her for an entire week? It was bad enough having him next door!

Yuna took a deep breath, and went outside quickly, following the same trail that Tidus had just moments ago.

She reached his deck and marched right up it, and knocked on his sliding door.

"Tidus!" she called, "Tidus, open up!"

It took him a while, but he finally appeared and opened the door. He crossed his arms and said, "What?"

"I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that," Yuna said, "Do you forgive me?"

"Uh, I'm sorry for lying to Dona about you and me," Tidus said, "I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright," Yuna said, "Anyway, I came over here to invite you to go to Besaid with me, Rikku, and Gippal."

"Besaid? That's where you're going!"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

"That's awesome!" Tidus cried, "The beach there is one of the best blitz training areas in Spira!"

"Great," Yuna said, sarcastically, of course, although she almost meant it, "Well, you and Gippal can spend your time playing."

"Yeah, I guess," Tidus said, "So…Honestly now, was it your idea to invite me, or Rikku's?"

"Let's just say that Rikku brought up the option, and I okayed it," Yuna said, "But, there are rules!"

"I can handle rules!" Tidus said, smiling, "When do we leave?"

"The day after tomorrow," Yuna said, "So be packed and ready to go."

"Will do!" Tidus said, his eyes shining brightly.

"Alright, I'll see you then," Yuna said, "Maybe it's a good thing you handed out my baked goods, since I won't be able to go to the bake sale after all."

"I'll donate stuff, how's that sound?" Tidus said, "I feel kind of bad about that…"

Yuna laughed and said, "Someday when you're a blitz star, just donate some money. Who knows, maybe you could have the humane society named after you!"

"Yeah! And we can turn half of it into a tanning salon!" Tidus said, laughing.

Yuna laughed too, and she said, "Let's not go that far…"

Tidus nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right."

Yuna laughed again and said, "See you later."

"Yeah, bye," Yuna said, "Oh, and if you want me to replace your bed or something, let me know."

"How wild were you?" Yuna cried, disgusted.

"Not at all, trust me," Tidus said, "I just feel really bad."

"Don't, it's alright," Yuna said, "See you later."

"Yeah, bye!" Tidus said and he waved at her.

Yuna smiled and started back toward her yard, wondering if it really was a good idea to invite Gippal and Tidus. She figured it probably wasn't.

-

"That swimsuit is adorable!" Rikku cried, "Do you think it'll look alright on me?"

"I don't know," Yuna said, "Don't you already have a cute one?"

"Yeah, but this one's cuter. Besides Yuna, this is Besaid we're talking about!"

"You just want to impress Gippal," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "What's he doing right now anyway?"

"He's at Tidus'," Rikku answered, "Yunie, this is going to be the best trip of our lives! I can't wait!"

"I still think this is a bad idea," Yuna voiced her opinion, although Rikku simply chose to ignore her.

"It'll be fine," Rikku said, and she purchased two bikinis, "Come on, let's go back."

Yuna followed her cousin, feeling horridly uncertain about the next day.

-

"Alright, spill it. What the hell is up with Yuna and you?"

Tidus poured the remaining chip crumbs from his last bag of chips into his mouth and said, "What do you mean?"

"Why did Yuna go along with this?" Gippal asked, "Was it all Rikku's begging, or did you have something to do with it too?"

"It was Rikku," came Tidus' reply.

"Okay," Gippal said, nodding, "But according to Rikku, Yuna's definitely got a thing for you. How the hell did you turn her around?"

"The same way Rikku turned you around," Tidus said, "Ever heard of being whipped?"

"Dude, you don't even understand," Gippal said, "Because you don't have a real steady girlfriend."

"I've been with more girls than you!"

"Being with girls has nothing to do with it. I know I sound corny, but have you ever been in love, Tidus?"

"Gross, you're saying you're in love with Rikku? Yeah, she has you whipped. Well, are you at least getting some good ass out of it?"

"Tidus, grow up!" Gippal cried, "For your information, I haven't had sex with Rikku."

"No way! It's been two weeks! What the hell is taking so long?"

"It's not about sex, Tidus!" Gippal cried, "Besides, Rikku's so sweet and innocent and…"

Tidus laughed and said, "And you don't want to taint her, that it?"

"No, that's not it," Gippal cried, "We'll do it when we're ready."

"Oh Yevon, what a corny line! She has you whipped!"

"Maybe," Gippal said, "But you didn't answer my question. What is your relationship with Yuna?"

"We're friends," Tidus said, shrugging, "I hang out with her since you're no longer around."

"You like her," Gippal said, "You know you do."

"Do not," Tidus said, "Yeah, if she wanted to sleep with me, you know I would, but otherwise, I think of her as a friend. She's pretty much your replacement."

"You replaced me with a girl?"

"No, I replaced you with Yuna," Tidus said, "She's kind of fun to hang out with, actually. True, she won't go to open blitz with me, and she won't play Frisbee with me, but we have fun."

"You disgust me," Gippal said, shaking his head.

"No, you disgust me!" Tidus cried, "Are you having trouble being away from Rikku right now?"

"Well, I miss her…"

"See, I don't miss Yuna. Not a single bit," Tidus said, shaking his head, "She could never come back and I'd be alright."

"Are you saying I could never come back and you'd be alright?" Gippal asked, giving Tidus a quizzical look.

"Bingo!" Tidus said, just as Gippal's phone started to ring.

"Yeah?" Gippal answered his phone, "Oh, okay. Yeah, I'm at Tidus'. See you in a little bit."

"Was that the wife?" Tidus asked, rolling his eyes.

"Sure was," Gippal replied, "Yuna and her are coming back from shopping."

"So that means you and the wife are going to be heading out for dinner?"

"Right," Gippal said, "See you tomorrow Tidus! Be ready for sunny Besaid!"

"Sunny Besaid my ass," Tidus said, "I don't even want to go anymore."

"Whatever, you do too," Gippal said, "Besides, Rikku told me that Yuna bought a really sexy bikini."

"Big deal."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No," Tidus said, shaking his head, "See you tomorrow, Gip."

Gippal sighed and said, "Yeah, see you later…"

With that, Gippal left, slowly, but very surely.

Leaning back on the couch, Tidus took the bag of chips and searched for any remaining crumbs. Of course, there were none.


	12. Besaid

Yay, chapter 12! (Haha, we're getting closer to my favorite chapters, which I think are 13 and 14.) Haha! I did some figuring, and I think this story will go about 25 chapters (give or take some) and will end around July 1st-August 3rd. (I'm leaving for Japan soon after that!) Soooo, yeah. I myself am currently on chapter 18 or 19. Well, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself _again._ Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Besaid

"Is it me, or is the water even clearer than last year!" Rikku said, sliding her sunglasses down the tip of her nose. All four of the Bevelle residents were standing on the beach, and all but Rikku were lugging their suitcases toward Yuna's vacation home. The only reason Rikku wasn't lugging her suitcase was because Gippal had it for her.

"It's right down this path," Yuna said, leading the group and ignoring Rikku's comment. Rikku linked her arm with Gippal's and the two followed Yuna slowly, while Tidus purposely shoved his way past them, and made his way next to Yuna.

"How far of a walk is it?" Tidus asked, "It's not too far from the beach, is it?"

"No, it's right up on this cliff, and it overlooks the beach," Yuna said, "As soon as we turn this corner here, you'll see three houses. Mine's the one in the middle."

Sure enough, they turned the corner, where three decent-sized vacation homes stood.

"Cute," Tidus just said, "Do you have food there, 'cause I'm starving!"

Yuna laughed and said, "Every night, the village has a cook-out. We'll eat there later."

"A village cook-out?" Tidus cried, "What kind of food do they have?"

"Usually it's fried rat meat," Yuna said, opening the door to the house.

"Good thing I like that," Tidus said.

"You're kidding, right?" Yuna cried, looking disgusted.

"Of course! What do they really have?"

"Hot dogs and hamburgers," Yuna said, and she opened the door. Tidus pushed her aside and entered first, causing Yuna to roll her eyes.

"Nice place," Tidus said, nodding. He walked into what was a living room with the kitchen attached. There were stairs going up and a small library to the left.

"The rooms are upstairs," Yuna said, passing Tidus, "The room to the right is Rikku and my room, and the room to the left is your room and Gippal's room."

"Whoa, wait," Tidus said, "Do you really think that's fair to separate Gippal and Rikku? They're in love, Yuna, and practically ready for marriage!"

"Nice try Tidus, but that's the way it is," Yuna said just as Gippal and Rikku finally reached the inside of the place.

"Sorry Gip," Tidus said as soon as Gippal set down his load of suitcases, "I tried to get it so that you and Rikku shared a room, but it just isn't a possibility with Miss Fun-sucker over here."

Gippal shook his head and ignored Tidus' comment saying, "Thanks a lot for inviting us, Yuna."

"No problem," Yuna said, "Go ahead and get unpacked."

"Can't we go check out the beach first?" Rikku asked, her eyes glowing.

"It's the same as it always is," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"I know!" Rikku cried, "But come on, let's go have fun!"

She grabbed Gippal's arm and pulled him out the door.

"Damn is she energetic," Tidus said, shaking his head, "Those two make me sick. Sorry Yuna, but I may have to stay with the neighbors. I don't think I can take a week with them. Sorry, 'bout that, Babe."

Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "Sorry to you, Tidus, because the neighbors probably aren't here. I haven't seen them in years."

"Oh yeah?" Tidus said, "Why not?"

Yuna shrugged and she said, "I don't know. I used to see them all the time. The house at the right belongs to an older couple—they're adorably sweet—and the house on the left belonged to a popular Lucan lawyer, his wife, and his son."

"Ah," Tidus said, and Yuna could tell that he wasn't really paying attention.

"His son is a year older than us," Yuna said, "But I haven't seen him since I was twelve or thirteen. We used to hang out all of the time though, back when my father and I came here."

"Cool," Tidus said, "Anyway, shall we go check out the beach?"

"You don't need my permission," Yuna said, sighing, "To tell you the truth, I'm with you. I wish we could go to the neighbors'. Rikku and Gippal make me sick too."

"Yes! I knew there was a reason I liked you!" Tidus cried, his eyes glowing, "Don't they just disgust you to no end? And you want to know something horrible? They haven't even had sex yet!"

"What is so horrible about that?" Yuna cried, "I thought they had already! I'm rather impressed with my cousin."

"Dude, it's not Rikku, it's Gippal," Tidus said, shaking his head, "He always was a wimp. I bet you they do it before we leave this island."

"I am not betting on something horrible like that!" Yuna cried, "Rikku is only seventeen!"

"So?" Tidus said with a shrug, "I did it when I was fifteen."

"Yeah, but you're you," Yuna said, "And I didn't need to know that!"

"What? Dona probably did it when she was thirteen!" Tidus called after Yuna, for she headed up the stairs. Tidus followed her, which caused Yuna to turn around.

"Tidus," Yuna began, "I came to Besaid to…Well, to get away from the loudness that is you. So, could you please do me a favor and leave me alone."

"Yuna, I'm hurt that you feel that way!" Tidus said, putting his hand over his heart, "Don't you realize that I am friendless?"

Yuna snorted despite herself. "You? Friendless. Please, Tidus."

"It's the truth!" Tidus cried, "Especially here! Uh…The Besaid blitz team hates me."

"Why?"

"…Because I threw one of their players out of the sphere pool once and caused him to be out the rest of the season."

"Okay, so they hate you…So what?"

"They're down on the beach and I think they want to beat me up."

"You're Tidus. Couldn't you take them all on?"

"Yuna, I'm an amazingly good-looking blitzball player, not a super hero."

"So you want me to believe that you—who just threw Bevelle's biggest party—has no friends?"

Tidus just nodded.

"What about Gippal?"

"He's with Rikku now."

Yuna slowly began to realize that Tidus wasn't lying. It seemed unreal that he would be friendless, but his eyes were dim and he showed no sign of jest.

"People only like me 'cause I'm good at blitz," Tidus said, frowning, "Probably even Gippal."

"I'm sure that's not true," Yuna said, unsure of what else to say.

"Trust me, Yuna," Tidus said, "It's the truth. I'm a jerk. Who would want to be my friend?"

"I'm your friend, aren't I?" Yuna said, only she realized instantly how hypocritical she sounded. Hadn't she just told him that she didn't want him around?

"You're just my friend because I make you be my friend," Tidus said, rolling his eyes.

A slight breeze went through the room then, and Yuna came back to her senses and realized that they were still standing in her room—or at least, she was. Tidus was still standing in the doorway where she had made him stop.

Yuna took a deep breath and she said, "Go get unpacked, Tidus. And then I'll go to the beach with you."

"My room's that one over there?" Tidus asked, pointing across the small hallway toward an open room.

"Yes, that's your room," Yuna said.

Tidus walked out of the room and headed down the wooden spiral staircase, and was back in just a matter of seconds with his suitcase. He walked across the hallway and Yuna heard his bed creak as he must have thrown his suitcase onto it. Yuna shook her head, but couldn't conceal a smile. She turned around and set her own suitcase on her bed, and opened it.

She suddenly heard Tidus come pounding across the small hallway and he peeked his head into her room. Yuna instantly wiped her smile off of her face and turned to face him.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"I am not sharing a bed with Gippal," Tidus said, shaking his head, "There is only one bed in that room, and I am not sharing it with that man!"

Yuna laughed and she said, "There's only one bed in here and I have to share with Rikku."

"It's alright for two girls to sleep together," Tidus said, "But not for two guys to sleep together."

Yuna couldn't help but laugh, and she said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Tidus said, talking slower as if Yuna simply hadn't understood him, "That Gippal and I cannot share a bed by any means. We can't even share a room."

"There's a couch downstairs," Yuna said, shaking her head. She turned back to her suitcase, another smile spreading across her lips.

"Is that really where you want me to sleep, Yuna? All the way downstairs? Wouldn't you sleep so much nicer knowing that I am just across the hallway from you, only a matter of steps from you?"

"No, actually, I'd sleep better knowing you were downstairs."

"Fine," Tidus said, shaking his head, "But when you guys are murdered because I was too far away to save you, don't come moaning to me."

"Besaid hasn't had a crime in over ten years, and that was a minor misunderstanding," Yuna said, still smiling.

"You still never know," Tidus said, "But whatever, it's your call."

"Or," Yuna said, "You could stop being a baby and sleep with Gippal."

"It's impossible," Tidus said, shaking his head.

Yuna laughed and she said, "Tidus, just quit. You're not going to weasel your way into bed with me."

"With you? I was thinking Rikku!"

This statement caused an eye roll from Yuna, but she still couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, look, what I was thinking," Tidus said, as if trying to reword his statement, "Is that you can sleep on the couch, Gippal and Rikku can sleep together so that I can win the bet, and—."

"We didn't make a bet," Yuna reminded him.

"Right, whatever," Tidus said, "But wouldn't everybody be happier that way? I'd have my own bed, you'd be comfortable on the couch, and the first to get murdered—no offense or anything, but hey, better you than me—and Rikku and Gippal could be together. I'm just trying not to be selfish here."

"You were doing good until you said that I'd be the first to get murdered," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "Tidus, please don't be stupid. You know that things have to work this way."

"For a normal teenager, no," Tidus said, "But for you, yes. Well, whatever, I'm off to check out the beach!"

"Alright," Yuna said, "See you later."

"Why won't you come?" Tidus asked, shaking his head.

"Because," Yuna said, "I need to unpack."

"You have a long time to do that," Tidus said, "Come on!"

"Go alone!" Yuna said, shaking her head.

"But Yuna, I'll get beat up," Tidus said.

"But you're Tidus!" Yuna said, making her voice sound tough, "You can take them on. Trust me! I've heard enough of your ego in the last few weeks to know!"

To Yuna's surprise, Tidus simply gritted his teeth, and stared at her hard, looking angry.

"What?" Yuna asked, shocked by his reaction.

Tidus just shook his head and said, "Way to be a jerk, Yuna. Sorry, but that position is already filled by me." With that, he left, shutting the door behind him. Actually, shutting is an understatement. He slammed the door.

Yuna stood there in shock, and heard him pounding down the stairs, and then she finally heard the front door slam shut. She peeked out her window, just in time to see him heading down the path they had come up, toward the beach.

"He's awfully moody today," Yuna said, taking her clothes and folding them neatly. She chose not to ponder on his behavior though, and instead continued to unpack. Still, something told her that it was going to be a very long vacation.

-

"Yunie, Gippal wants me to show him the temple!" Rikku cried, running up to Yuna, who was sitting at the kitchen table, absent-mindedly reading her book.

"Sh, Tidus is sleeping," Yuna said, nodding toward the couch, where Tidus was, sure enough, sleeping soundly.

"Gippal and I are going to the temple," Rikku repeated herself, in a whisper, "Gippal's never been to a temple before!"

Yuna opened her mouth to ask if she could come along, but she shut it instantly. She got the feeling that this was to be a Gippal-Rikku moment, and not a Gippal-Rikku-Yuna moment.

"Alright, have fun," Yuna said, shrugging. As if on cue, Gippal came down the stairs then, stretching.

"Good morning!" he said, smiling only to have both Rikku and Yuna shush him, and point to the slumbering Tidus.

"Don't give him special treatment," Gippal said, although he lowered his voice, "He thrives on that kind of thing."

Rikku ignored his comment and grabbed Gippal's arm, and said, "See you later, Yunie!" She rushed out the door then, pulling Gippal behind, and shut the door too loudly behind her, which caused Tidus to stir.

Tidus made some grumbling noises, and rolled over. He rolled over too far, however, and was soon on the floor, landing with thud.

"Ow…" he said, rubbing his head sleepily, "What the hell…?"

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Yuna said, but she didn't look at him. She simply continued to read her book.

"Oh, 'morning," Tidus said, but he continued to rub his head, "You got any Advil?"

"Possibly. Did you hit your head that hard?"

"No, slight hangover," Tidus said, "Turns out the Besaid team pretty much worships me. And turns out they drink a lot."

"Hey, there is to be no drinking on this trip!" Yuna cried, but she handed him some Advil anyway, and began to fill a glass of water for him.

"Too late," Tidus said, popping the pills, "Where's Gippal and what's-her-face?"

"Rikku and Gippal just left," Yuna said, sitting back down and returning to her book, "So, you were out late."

"Yeah, with the team here," Tidus said, yawning, "Nice group of guys."

"Yeah," Yuna just said, flipping to the next page in her book.

"Sorry I ran off last night," Tidus said then, walking up to the table, "I don't know what got into me."

"You were just being moody," Yuna said, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"Yeah, I guess so," Tidus said, rubbing his head, "What time is it?"

"Going on noon," Yuna replied, holding her book up as if to show that she wasn't interested in talking.

"So, just you and me today?" Tidus asked, smiling.

Yuna put the book down and sighed, saying, "I guess so."

"That figures," Tidus said, swallowing, "Well, where'd Gippal and what's-her-face go off to? Maybe I'll just hang with them."

"Rikku and what's-_his_-face headed off to the temple," Yuna said, turning to her book once again.

"Gippal hates temples," Tidus said, shaking his head, "I bet what's-her-face dragged him off there."

"Rikku was excited to show what's-his-face the temple because he'd never seen it before, and what's-his-face seemed pretty interested."

"That's because what's-her-face has Gippal wrapped around her finger," Tidus said, giving Yuna an annoyed—and yet challenging—look.

Yuna returned his annoyed look with a look of her own, and she said, "Tidus, why are you like this?"

"Like what?" Tidus asked, and he wrapped his fingers in an almost prayer-like manner and smiled sweetly at her.

"Like a spoiled brat," Yuna said, shaking her head.

Tidus shrugged and said, "Because I am a spoiled brat. People tend to act like they are. I'm just being myself."

"I'm glad you're proud of it," Yuna said, shaking her head.

Tidus rubbed his eyes and said, "Sorry Yuna. Really, I am. You're right, this is our vacation, and we should enjoy ourselves. I'm being a moody jerk and it's not fair to you."

Yuna smiled a real smile at him—it had been a while since she'd done that—and she said, "Now that's the Tidus I like."

"I didn't know you liked a Tidus," Tidus said, his eyes downcast.

"I like that Tidus," Yuna said, giving him a smile.

"And I like seeing that smile," Tidus said, "You give me fake smiles a lot, don't you?"

"Sometimes," Yuna said with a shrug.

She was about to turn back to her book, but Tidus grabbed it and drug it toward himself.

"Yuna, dear," he said, smiling at her, "We're on vacation. So don't read all the time!"

"Tidus, darling," Yuna said, grabbing the book from him, and pulling it her way, "I enjoy reading."

"Yuna, sweetheart," Tidus said, pulling the book back toward himself, "It's not fun for me to watch you read."

"Tidus, honey," Yuna said, "Don't watch me then." Tidus held the book though, and wouldn't let her take it.

"As much as I love hearing you call me those pet names," Tidus said, which caused an eye roll from Yuna, "I can't let you have this book."

"Fine," Yuna said in defeat, "What do you propose we do then?"

"Get wasted!" Tidus cried.

"Get lost," Yuna said, and tried to grab the book again.

"I was kidding," Tidus said, shaking his head, "You've been here more than me, what's there to do around here?"

"Nothing you'd like to do," Yuna said, attempting once more to regain possession of the book, only to fail once again.

"Let's go do something mean to Gippal and what's-her-face!" Tidus cried then, looking proud of himself for coming up with the idea.

"Tidus, what is it with you and your obsession with them?" Yuna asked, "Just let them be!"

"No! It makes me sick, Yuna! Gippal is nothing like the Gip I knew. Nothing. Dude, I went to find him last night to introduce him to the blitz team here, and I couldn't find him anywhere! And my damn cell phone signal is too weak here to give him a call! And I know he wasn't screwing Rikku or anything. They were probably enjoying a romantic moment somewhere. And you know, I know he hates temples. He's Al Bhed for Yevon's sake! So why the hell did he run off at one so early in the morning? Because that little Al Bhed bitch has him wrapped around her stupid little finger!"

"So you're jealous, in other words," Yuna said, leaning back in her chair, "But jealous of what? Jealous that Rikku is taking his attention from you, or jealous that he has something that you don't have? Or is it a mixture of both?"

Tidus pouted and said, "It's neither."

"Then what is it?" Yuna cried, feeling exasperated.

"Fine, it's both," Tidus said then, "Are you happy? Now I'm going to go find them and force them to hang out with me!"

"Tidus, don't you dare ruin their happiness!" Yuna cried after him, but it was too late. He was already out the door. He hadn't even changed out of his clothes from the day before, nor had he fixed his hair. But he didn't care.

Sighing in defeat, Yuna simply picked up her book and began to read.


	13. Baralai

Yay, here's chapter 13! AND, I actually edited this one! Haha, usually I don't proof-read, so if there are ever errors, that's why. Anyway, I hope you're all having great summers, and enjoy!

Chapter 13: Baralai

Yuna looked down at her skin and smiled. It was definitely tanner than it had been earlier that afternoon. Her smile slowly faded, however, as she reminded herself that she had sunglasses on. Sighing, she slowly lifted her sunglasses up, and her smile faded even more, showing her disappointment. She was still white.

She had never cared about being tan before, but she couldn't help but care as she sat there, in her chair, reading. Usually Rikku and her both went to Besaid as white as ever, with two very white friends. This year, however, Rikku seemed surprisingly tan, and of course Gippal and Tidus were both marvelously and perfectly tan. The day before, Rikku had insisted on taking pictures, which only brought to Yuna's attention that she was incredibly white. She stuck out horridly.

She was sitting in her front yard, staring down at the sprawling ocean beneath her. She could see Rikku, Gippal, and Tidus far beneath her, tossing a blitzball back and forth. They had asked her if she wanted to play, but she had turned them down, deciding to enjoy instead a quiet reading time, and a secret tanning time, that was not at all successful.

Yuna pouted unknowingly. How was it fair that they were all running around down at the beach, their bronzed skin glowing in the sun, while she sat there reading a book and trying with no success to be as tan as they were?

Sighing loudly, Yuna slid her sunglasses back down to rest on her nose, happy to

see herself tan again, although if she looked down at the beach she'd see that the three down there were even darker. Yuna slammed her book shut, and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. Bringing Gippal and Tidus along had indeed been a bad idea.

"Yuna, is that you?" Yuna heard a voice, causing her to quickly turn around. She

took in a deep breath, and was completely unable to let it back out.

She stood up quickly, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Baralai?" she cried, "Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in years! I thought you guys didn't come here anymore!"

"We're actually selling the place," he answered, "This will be my last summer here. It hasn't changed much, has it?"

"No, not at all!" Yuna said, "How many years has it been since you've been here?"

"A good seven," Baralai admitted, "So how've you been?"

"Great!" Yuna said, although she immediately realized that was a lie.

"Your dad come with you?" Baralai asked, nodding toward Yuna's house.

"No," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"Did you come alone?" Baralai asked, looking confused.

"I came with my cousin and some friends," Yuna said, smiling.

Baralai laughed and said, "I guess you're not twelve anymore, huh? What are you, eighteen now?"

"Yeah," Yuna answered.

"So you graduated from high school alright? Lemme guess, Valedictorian?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, blushing, "What school did you end up going to."

"St. Zaon."

"Really? I'm going to its sister school, St. Yunalesca!"

"Cool," Baralai said. Yuna smiled and couldn't help but look at him. He looked

almost the same as he had seven years ago, which was the last time she had seen him, only older of course. Her smile faded as she realized that like everybody else around her, he too was nicely tanned.

Yuna opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as she heard commotion

from behind her.

"Yuuuunnnaaa! You should have come! We ended up--Whoa, who's this guy?" It

was of course, Tidus.

"I'm Baralai," Baralai said, handing his hand out to Tidus.

"Tidus," Tidus said, shaking his hand, "Uh, you two friends?"

"We were," Baralai said, nodding, and he smiled at Yuna, "See you around, okay?"

"Yeah, bye!" Yuna said. Baralai waved and then started back toward his house.

"Okay, so who's that guy?" Tidus asked.

"He lives in that house there," Yuna said, "When we were kids, we were best

friends. But then he started going to summer camp, so he didn't come to the house anymore. I didn't think I'd ever see him again!" Yuna wore an almost shocked smile, but her eyes were glowing, and she watched as Baralai walked up onto his deck and then into his house.

"Neat," Tidus said, shrugging, "Anyway, we were—."

Yuna cut him off without even meaning to. "I still remember the last time I saw him. It was raining, and he biked over here, and told me that he wouldn't be coming anymore. I played it cool, and told him that I'd miss him and stuff. Then, I cried myself to sleep that night."

"Y-You cried yourself to sleep 'cause he wasn't coming?" Tidus asked, following Yuna's gaze to the door that Baralai had disappeared into.

"Yeah," Yuna said, and she finally seemed to be able to let her breath out, which came out in a low sigh, "It took me a long time to get over it. I used to come here, and wait and wait for him to come. But he never did."

"You sound like you were love-sick," Tidus said, and he instantly stopped as he said that, with a look of shock spreading across his face, "Do you like him, Yuna?"

Red instantly found its way to Yuna's cheeks, and she said, "Well, no, but…"

"That guy?" Tidus just said, pointing toward his house.

"Tidus, sh!" Yuna shushed him, "He can probably hear you!"

"I don't care!" Tidus said, his voice rising, which surprised Yuna, "You love that guy?"

"Tidus, shut up!" Yuna cried, and she started toward the house, her cheeks growing redder and redder.

"Yuna, that guy…You like him?" Tidus just kept asking over and over.

"Tidus, I can't answer that!" Yuna cried, rushing into her house.

"What was his name?" Tidus demanded, following her closely, "I don't even think he recognized me! So far everyone I've met here knows who I am!"

"It's Baralai," Yuna said, ignoring Tidus' other comments, and she looked dreamily out the window toward his house.

"You like him," Tidus said, and this time it was a statement, not a question.

Yuna didn't deny it.

"You love that guy," Tidus said, as if repeating it would make it clear in his head, walking up to her and also looking toward his house, "I didn't think a girl like you liked guys."

"Oh please, Tidus," Yuna said, "You're making a huge deal out of this."

"It is a big deal," Tidus said, "That guy is the guy you like?"

"Why does it shock you so much?" Yuna cried, and she took a deep breath and let it out, causing a long, deep sigh, "He's amazing."

"N-No," Tidus said, shaking his head, "Yuna,_ I_ am amazing! Look, look at me!"

Yuna just smiled at him, but her eyes didn't leave Baralai's house.

Tidus looked thoughtful, and his eyebrows were furrowed forward. If Yuna were to turn around and look at him, she would have found him to be in the deepest thought that she would have ever seen him in.

"So have you told him?" Tidus finally asked, his voice soft. He was standing at Yuna's side, looking out the large bay window with her, although he was uncertain what it was exactly that she was looking at.

"Of course not," Yuna said, blushing, "I have never told anybody."

"Whoa, I'm the only one that knows?" Tidus cried.

Yuna's cheeks deepened even more and she turned to him with glowing eyes and said, "Promise not to tell anybody?"

"I p-promise," Tidus stammered.

"Thanks," Yuna said, giving him a wry little smile.

"What's so great about him?" Tidus asked then, craning his neck as if he was missing something.

Yuna just shook her head and said, "When I was twelve and he thirteen, we literally did everything together. When he left, things were never the same here. I almost began to dread coming here, except for the fact that I could hope I would see him again. I think it was only last summer that I finally gave up hope."

"So you waited how long for that guy?" Tidus asked, looking shocked.

Yuna's smile widened slightly, and she said, "A good seven years."

"Yevon that's a long time to wait for a guy," Tidus said.

"Oh no, I had given up on him," Yuna said, "Every year I came here, I found myself really nostalgic. All I could think of was our summers together. I wanted to see him so badly."

"Wow…" Tidus said, and he walked away from the window and took a seat at the table, "You must really like that guy."

"I always felt guilty," Yuna said, perhaps ignoring Tidus' comment, "Because I hadn't told him how I felt. I always played it cool around him. We were really competitive, you see…So I wouldn't let on that I liked him. We almost acted as if we hated each other…"

"You…acted like you hated each other?" Tidus cried, "Why didn't you just have sex and get it over with?"

Yuna rolled her eyes at him and said, "Remember, Tidus, we were twelve!"

"He was thirteen!" Tidus reminded her.

Yuna smiled at him and said, "So you are listening?"

"Of course," Tidus said, and he jumped slightly.

He came back out then, and walked around to the side of his house away from Yuna and Tidus' view.

Yuna took a deep breath and she said, "I'm going to go talk to him, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I think I can think of some things to ask him…"

Yuna smiled a knowing smile at Tidus and said, "Is it alright if I talk to him alone?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Tidus said, nodding, "See you around then."

"Do I look alright?" Yuna asked, ignoring the dismay in Tidus' voice.

"No," Tidus said, and it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Tidus, please!" Yuna cried.

"You look great," Tidus said, smiling a little smile.

"Alright, thanks. Bye Tidus!" She ran out the door before he could even utter a little 'bye'.

Yuna shut the door behind her and made her way across her yard and into Baralai's, something she hadn't done since she was twelve. She ran around to the side, where Baralai was checking the sprinkler system.

"Hey!" she greeted him, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

"Oh, hey," he said, standing up, "What are you up to?" Yuna's heart began to speed. It was just like it had been when she was twelve.

"Not much," she answered, an answer that she had given him many times. The only difference was that she wasn't challenging him to a race, or to a swim competition, but instead stood there with a little cheeky smile on her face. She figured she looked like a dork.

"So that blonde your boyfriend?" Baralai asked, and he turned back to the sprinkler.

"Oh, Tidus?"

"Yeah, him."

"N-No," Yuna said, shaking her head with a dumb smile plastered across her face, "He's my neighbor, back in Bevelle."

"Ah," Baralai said, "I didn't think he looked like your type." Baralai knew her type? Yuna's heart began to race again. Still, she felt like she couldn't move. She had no idea what to do or say.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked then, the question scaring herself.

"No," Baralai said, "I just broke up with mine."

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Yuna said, although her stomach twisted itself excitedly.

"It's not a big deal," Baralai said, shrugging, "So what are you up to this summer?"

"Not much," Yuna said, and she looked into Baralai's window, "Are your parents here?"

"Nope, just me," Baralai said, smiling, "Dad's got work to do, and Mom's at a school board meeting."

"Sounds like them," Yuna said, smiling, "Tell them I say hi."

"Will do," Baralai said. Awkward silence passed between them then.

Finally, Yuna swallowed and said, "It wasn't much fun here after you left."

Baralai chuckled softly, and he said, "Really?"

"No. It got a little better two summers ago when my father finally let me bring a friend, but…Before that it was torture."

"And now you're bringing your neighbor?" Baralai asked, raising his eyebrows with the question. So he really did suspect there was more going on than a neighbor-neighbor relationship.

"Tidus is incredibly complicated," Yuna said, wondering what else to say, "You see, I actually came here with my cousin Rikku. But then Rikku wanted to bring her boyfriend, who just so happens to be Tidus' best friend."

"Ah," Baralai said, "Where's Tidus now?"

"Inside," Yuna answered quickly, "He's eating."

"He looks familiar," Baralai mused.

Yuna rolled her eyes. Who didn't recognize Tidus? He might as well just become a professional blitzball player and skip the whole college stage.

"He's in a lot of magazines and stuff," Yuna said, looking at the ground, "He's a really good blitzball player."

Baralai snorted and said, "That's where I've seen him. My summer camp was at the same campus in Luca as a big blitzball camp. I think I remember seeing him." Baralai shook his head, and continued, "He led an attack on my camp, which was of course engineer camp. You're right, he is complicated."

Yuna laughed and said, "Really? Well, it's too bad you're not at camp this summer, since Tidus isn't going to blitz camp."

"Yeah, that guy is a jerk," Baralai said, "I bet it's horrible having to hang out with him."

Yuna started to nod, but she stopped. She wanted to agree that it was indeed horrible, but she couldn't quite bring herself to say it.

Instead, she just smiled and said, "It's interesting." Her stomach dropped, and she found herself looking back toward her house, only to of course see Baralai's. She had left poor Tidus to himself.

Yuna swallowed and said, "I'm sorry Baralai, but I should probably get going. I kind of feel bad for just leaving Tidus by himself."

Baralai looked disappointed, but she shrugged and said, "Alright, see you later then?"

"Definitely," Yuna said, smiling largely, "Bye!"

She walked quickly away from him then, heading back toward her place. Part of her felt angry for having Tidus there. If he wasn't there, she'd be free to spend all of her time with Baralai. She sighed though, for Tidus was there, and there was nothing she could do about that. A part of her felt angry about Tidus too, not because he was there, but simply because of his existence. He was only confusing things.

He was waiting right by the door as she entered.

"So, you tell him?" he asked, his face impossible to read, but Yuna noticed his voice wasn't as bright as it normally was.

"No," Yuna said, "I had to explain to him that we weren't dating."

A small smile found its way to Tidus' lips, and he said, "He thought we were dating?"

"Well Tidus, what would you think if you know that some guy and I were at our vacation place by ourselves?"

"Rikku and Gippal are here too."

"But he didn't know that."

"Well then, I would think we were dating."

"Exactly," Yuna said, sighing, "To be honest, I acted like an idiot. I don't have the slightest idea what to say to him."

"If I was around him more, I could probably help you," Tidus said, sounding thoughtful.

Yuna laughed. Was he joking? "What do you mean?" she questioned, noticing his serious face.

"Face it Yuna, I know how to make people fall in love with me." Yuna's mouth slowly grew agape. So he did do it on purpose.

Yuna swallowed to compose herself, and she said, "I guess you do…"

"So maybe I can help," Tidus said, smiling, "Go tell him to have dinner with us, and I'll observe him."

Yuna laughed and said, "That is the craziest thing you have ever said!"

"I know, I know," Tidus said, looking disbelieved himself, "But I really think I can help you."

"You'd be willing to do that?" Yuna asked softly.

Tidus nodded slowly. His eyes met Yuna's, and he looked as if he was about to say something, but nothing exited his lips, not a single sound.

Finally, Tidus pulled his gaze away from Yuna's, and he said, "I probably owe it to you. I've been such a jerk."

Yuna too opened her mouth to say something, but was also unable to do so. Something told her that there was more to Tidus' statement than he was saying. She knew it meant that he had been a jerk in some way that she did not know of, and that she probably did not want to know of.

"So go ask him," Tidus said.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Yuna said, shaking her head.

Tidus laughed. "You're afraid I'm going to embarrass you, is that it?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "Well, you are Tidus. It wouldn't surprise me."

"Well, you're going to have to take your chances if you want my help," Tidus said, "How long is Baralai here for?"

"Not sure," Yuna said.

"Well, you like the guy, and I can help you get him to like you too."

"Okay," Yuna said, but she didn't look completely sold.

"Go get him and bring him here!" Tidus said, not wanting to waste any more time. He gave Yuna a little shove toward the door, and she rolled her eyes, but headed outside.

She walked back across her yard and into Baralai's, finding that her heart was beginning to speed. The thought of seeing him again excited her, but she was rather nervous to introduce him to Tidus again. Especially since she was unsure of what Tidus had up his sleeve. He either really did want to help her, or he just wanted to be a jerk.

Yuna walked around Baralai's house and to the side, only to notice that Baralai wasn't there. She quickly went up to his front porch, something she hadn't done in years, and rang his doorbell. It wasn't long before he entered.

"Oh, hey!" he said, just as he would have long ago, "What's up?"

"Tidus and I think you should come hang out with us," Yuna said then, "We're kind of bored…" She didn't know what else to say, and she hoped she sounded believable. She should have sent Tidus over. If anybody could manipulate, it would be Tidus.

"Sure," Baralai said, shrugging, which caused Yuna to smile.

"Come on then!" Yuna said, leading the way back to her place. Baralai smiled and followed. Yuna's heart began to beat faster. She was growing anxious to see exactly what Tidus planned on doing.

She opened the door, and the two walked in. Tidus was sitting at the table, and he turned and faced them, and threw on a huge, loveable smile.

"Hey!" he greeted them, "Rikku just called. Gippal and her are going to go to some fireworks display tonight."

"Did you tell them they have those every night?" Yuna asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah," Tidus said, "But Rikku insisted that they have to see them tonight."

"We could go see them tonight too," Yuna said, smiling, although Tidus noticed her smile was directed toward Baralai.

"Uh, no," Tidus said, making the cut sign by his throat, as if to attempt to secretly tell her to drop it.

"Why not?" Yuna asked through clenched teeth.

Tidus looked thoughtful, and he finally said, "I thought it'd be nice if your first romantic moment was there."

Yuna glared at Tidus hard, and Baralai looked from Tidus to Yuna, and then back at Tidus, obviously confused.

Yuna gave an embarrassed little laugh, and she said, "Anyway, have you eaten anything, Baralai?"

"Yeah, I just did," Baralai said, still looking confused.

"Hey Baralai," Tidus said then, although Yuna gave him a warning look, attempting to tell him to shut his mouth, "How many rooms you got at your place?"

"Two," Baralai answered.

"Just you there?"

"Yeah."

"Great," Tidus said, stretching, "Mind if I stay in the extra room?"

Baralai gave Yuna a confused look, but Yuna was too busy glaring at Tidus.

"Tidus, that's not necessary," Yuna said, shaking her head, her eyes wide.

"I've been sleeping on the couch," Tidus said, pointing to the couch, "And it's not very comfortable."

"Doesn't Yuna have a guest room?" Baralai asked, sounding confused.

"Tidus refuses to sleep with Gippal," Yuna said, still glaring at him.

"You understand, right?" Tidus asked, smiling to Baralai, "A guy can't sleep with a guy."

Baralai looked at Yuna, confusion spread out across his face.

"Tidus is very spoiled," Yuna said, trying to clear up her neighbor's odd behavior, "No Tidus, you're fine here."

"Well," Baralai said, shrugging, "The room is open. I guess you could stay there if you really wanted to."

"Great!" Tidus said, "I'll go get my stuff right now!" He jumped up before either of them could say anything, and went to collect his belongings.

"Baralai," Yuna said quickly, "You don't have to let him stay with you."

"It's alright," Baralai said, giving Yuna a dazzling smile, one that was much more dazzling than even the ones Tidus gave her when he was attempting to be dazzling.

"I just don't think it's a—," Yuna started, only to get interrupted.

"Okay, Bare—mind if I call you that?—let's go. You have a sphere?"

"Uh, yeah," Baralai said, giving another confused look to Yuna, "I do have a sphere."

"Great, let's go watch the blitz game. Sorry Yuna, no girls allowed."

"What?" Yuna just said, "Tidus, we can watch it here!"

"No, you want to read," Tidus said, nodding to her book, "Remember?"

"B-But!" Yuna cried.

"Come on Bare," Tidus said.

"Uh, don't call me that," Baralai said, and he gave yet another confused look to Yuna.

Yuna could only shake her head, also confused. Fear gripped her stomach tightly. What was Tidus doing? What was he going to say to Baralai as soon as they were alone together? Was he going to say something horrible and make Baralai never interested in her? Perhaps even worse, was the thought of Tidus telling Baralai how she felt.

"Tidus…" Yuna started, but Tidus just gave her a smile. It was a simple, almost innocent smile, and it seemed to instantly reassure her. She wasn't sure how he did it, but something seemed to pass between them, giving her the idea that it was all going to be fine.

Even so, as the guys left her house, she couldn't help but feel almost nauseous. It was going to be a very long night.


	14. The NonExistant First Kiss

Finally, chapter 14. This is _by far_ my favorite chapter, and I hope you guys like it as much as I do too! Haha, I was going to go on about this movie I watched yesterday, but I'll just let you get to the chapter. Enjoy!

[EDIT Also, I am not very happy with It took forever to let me up this chapter, and then I finally took a glance at it, confused by some reviews, only to find that all of my last few paragraphs were ALL GROUPED together. I'm sorry about that. I swear, just wants to take my best chapter and attempt to massacre it.

Chapter 14: The Non-Existant First Kiss

"Dude, did you see that move?" Tidus cried, "Zanarkand kicks ass. Hey, you got any beer?"

Baralai gave Tidus a disgusted look, and he said, "No."

"Why not?" Tidus asked, belching as he did so.

"I don't drink," came Baralai's reply.

"Aren't you old enough?"

"I'm nineteen."

"Isn't that old enough in Besaid?"

"No."

"Oh."

Baralai looked annoyed, and he attempted to turn his attention back to the game.

"I don't understand this game," he finally said, shaking his head.

"Dude, if you don't like blitz, what the hell do you like?" Tidus asked, giving Baralai a look that was of shock.

Baralai shrugged and said, "I like to read…"

"Damn, just like Yuna," Tidus said, leaning his head against the chair.

"I play tennis and golf," Baralai continued.

Tidus made a gagging sound. "You're kidding, right? Does anybody play those sports?"

Baralai shook his head and said, "I belong to the finest country club in Luca."

"You would," Tidus rolled his eyes, "So…You have a girlfriend?"

"No," came Baralai's answer, and he gave Tidus a suspicious look, "Do you?"

"Just dumped her," Tidus said.

"Same here," Baralai said, looking at the sphere as if that was more interesting.

"So, how many times did you do it with your girlfriend?" Tidus asked, a small smile creeping on his lips. He almost wished Yuna was there to enjoy the conversation he was sharing with her childhood friend.

Baralai gave him a glare, and he said, "I don't believe that's any of your business."

"Right, sorry," Tidus said, "You seem like a tight ass…You didn't do it, did you?"

"I'm not going to answer that," Baralai said, and his glare deepened at Tidus' insult.

"Dona and I lost count," Tidus said, smiling at the thought.

The sphere suddenly flashed off.

"Hey, what gives?" Tidus cried, "Turn that back on."

Baralai shook his head, "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't get it," Baralai just said, "Did Yuna change or something? Why's she hanging out with you?"

His words seemed to hit Tidus harder than Baralai was probably expecting, for Tidus suddenly became very serious, and said a sad little, "I don't know."

Silence settled in, and, as if unsure of what else to do, Baralai turned the sphere back on. Tidus wasn't interested anymore though.

Tidus looked at the ceiling, that whole inner-conflict deal—a new concept to him!—bothering him once again.

He finally took a deep breath and said, "Look, Baralai, Yuna and I aren't even really friends. She's nothing like me. You and her would make a great couple, you know."

Baralai looked at Tidus and then to the sphere.

He swallowed and said, "I don't think Yuna's very interested in me."

Tidus almost lost it. How could he not notice?

Tidus took a deep breath and played it cool. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, she's not, is she?" Baralai asked, giving Tidus what appeared to be a disgusted look. Tidus could see through that, though.

Tidus shrugged and said, "Like I said, Yuna and I aren't really friends. So she wouldn't really tell me if she did."

Baralai shrugged and said, "I figured she had a thing for you."

"What? We just had this conversation, remember? I'm nothing like her, and she's nothing like me." Tidus eyes slowly dimmed, and he said, "To be honest…I just used her to borrow her yard for a party."

"Does she know that?" Baralai asked.

"No," Tidus said, shaking his head.

Baralai shook his head, with an amused smile plastered across his mouth. "So, why'd you come here?"

"I couldn't stand being there," Tidus said, and it was half-true, "See, Yuna's cousin and my best friend are dating, and it's pretty much the most annoying thing ever, and Yuna' so boring."

"Why did you come here then?" Baralai asked.

"I was bored," Tidus said, "But it's been boring here too."

Baralai rolled his eyes and said, "I'm going to bed."

"The game's not over!" Tidus cried.

"I don't care," Baralai just said, and he started toward his stairs in his house, which was laid out very similar to Yuna's.

"You know," Tidus said, sitting up, "I feel guilty imposing like this."

Baralai gave him a very annoyed look.

"S-So, I'm gonna go back to Yuna's. Sorry about annoying you and stuff."

Baralai just shook his head with a look of intense confusion and said, "Alright. See you around."

"Yeah, bye bud!" Tidus said, holding back a smile, for he couldn't help but notice distaste in Baralai's voice as he said that he'd see him around.

Tidus was still grinning as he made his way back to Yuna's place. He opened the door, only to feel his smile fade as he saw Rikku and Gippal, quite close, watching the blitzball game.

"Oh, hey Tidus," Gippal said, looking to see who entered, "Zanarkand's still ahead. Where were you?"

"Getting drunk with the Besaid team," Tidus lied, "Where's Yuna?"

"Asleep," Rikku said, now looking at him as well, "I suggest leaving her alone." Tidus glared at Rikku, for he noticed some pent up hostility toward him.

"Rikku," Tidus said, smiling sweetly, "I was just curious where she was."

"Whatever Tidus, come watch the game," Gippal said, turning to watch the sphere again. Rikku did the same.

"Yeah, I have to take a shit, and then I'll be right back!" Tidus ran away quickly, toward the stairs, glad the bathroom was upstairs. He also found himself happy for once that Gippal and Rikku were too interested in each other, for they didn't even think to follow.

Tidus of course went straight to Yuna's room, finding the door shut.

"Hey Yuna," he said, knocking lightly. There was no answer. Tidus frowned, feeling once more some inner-turmoil going on inside his stomach. He could even almost imagine shoulder consciences appearing on his shoulder, like he had all day. So far, he had done the right thing. He had listened to the angel. He hadn't told Baralai of Yuna's secret crush, and he hadn't told Yuna that he had used her for the party (okay, so maybe that wasn't the right thing, but for the time being, it wasn't hurting), and now he had to decide if he was going to just wait until the morning to tell Yuna his observations, or simply enter and wake her up. Choosing his choices earlier was much easier, and Tidus couldn't help but feel that he did the right thing. So, he smiled toward the devil on his shoulder and decided that for once, he was going to do what his gut told him not to do, and simply enter the room. Besides, she'd thank him in the long run.

He opened the door smoothly and walked into the dark room. "Yuna!" he whispered, but she didn't move. Tidus shut the door behind him softly and walked closer to her. Judging by her even breathing, she was fast asleep.

"Yuna, it's only nine o'clock!" Tidus said in a loud whisper, despite the fact that she probably didn't hear him. She didn't, for she didn't move.

"Yuna, what the hell is with the pink in this room?" Tidus asked then, looking at all of the pastel shades in the room, that were visible even in the dark. She still didn't move.

"Yuna!" Tidus said again, walking up to her, "Wake up! I have something really exciting to tell you!" He laughed though, surprised at how fast asleep she was. "Of course, what could be more exciting than waking up to my face?" Tidus asked, glancing at himself in Yuna's mirrored-dresser.

Finally, Tidus made an annoyed face, and he leaned close to her, only to stop.

"You smell really good, Yuna," he said, inhaling her scent, "Aw, and your hair's wet? Just get out of the shower? Now, did you get in the shower before or after Rikku and Gippal got back?" Tidus laughed. He was now attempting to carry on a conversation with a sleeping Yuna.

"Okay, get up before I really go crazy," Tidus said, "Besides, I'm fighting a strange urge to…ah, never mind. Maybe I'll just tell you in the morning."

He started toward the door then, but stopped. "But I really have something important to tell you!" he cried, running back to her side. He shoved her gently, saying, "Yuna!"

She turned away from him, mumbling something, causing him to smile. Finally, she was waking up.

Her eyes opened, but by that time, she was facing the opposite direction of Tidus.

"Yuna, over here!" he said, putting on a smile.

She sat up and stared at him, covering her mouth to conceal a scream.

"Tidus!" she cried.

"Sh! Don't let Gippal and Rikku know I'm here!" Tidus said in a loud whisper.

"What are you doing here?" Yuna said, dropping her voice only slightly.

"I wanted to tell you what Baralai said!" Tidus said, still smiling.

"Wh-What?" Yuna said, the anger quickly disappearing from her face, "What did he say?"

"He doesn't have a girlfriend!" Tidus said.

"I already knew that!" Yuna cried, her anger reappearing.

"He doesn't think you like him," Tidus said.

"Well, I would hope not," Yuna said.

"I told him you two would make a cute couple," Tidus said, his eyes dimming slightly. It was impossible to tell in the dark room, though.

"What did he say to that?" Yuna asked, her face brightening.

Tidus looked thoughtful, and said, "Uh, he said he thought you had a thing for me."

Yuna threw herself back down in the bed. "I figured he thought that."

Tidus laughed and said, "Yuna, he's an idiot!"

"What?" Yuna cried, sitting back up, "Tidus, he goes to the most prestigious college! How is he an idiot?"

Tidus swallowed and said, "Anybody can see that you don't have a thing for me."

Yuna's face slowly fell, and she looked down at her lap.

Tidus, not liking the silence, quickly began again, "I-I told him we had nothing in common. He was afraid you were like me."

"Oh?" Yuna said, although it sounded more like a gasp.

"Anyway," Tidus said, smiling a little smile, "He's pretty much perfect for you. Quiet, doesn't drink, likes to read…" Tidus swallowed, and said, "I have the perfect plan to hook you two up."

"Really?" Yuna asked.

Tidus nodded. "Yeah. I-I'll tell it to you in the morning, okay?"

"Alright," Yuna said, smiling, "Thanks, Tidus."

Tidus smiled and said, "Yeah, no problem. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

"Sure you don't want to share the bed with me?" Tidus asked, smiling.

"I'm positive," Yuna said, turning the opposite way, "Goodnight."

"I'll be on the couch then," Tidus said, "Goodnight."

Yuna didn't say anything, so Tidus simply slipped out, and shut the door. He looked up, smiling, only to have his smile instantly fade when he saw Rikku standing across from him, with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Hey Rik," Tidus said, walking past her.

"What were you doing in there?" Rikku asked, her voice full of suspicion.

"What do you think I was doing in there?" Tidus asked, a sly smile across his lips.

"I don't even want to know," Rikku said.

"Then why'd you ask."

"I'll ask her myself!" Rikku cried.

"Don't," Tidus said, grabbing her arm, "I was giving her love advice."

Rikku snorted. "You could at least make up a believable lie."

Tidus laughed and said, "Yeah, sorry. Goodnight Rikku! Hey, did Zanarkand win?"

"Yes," Rikku said, and then she entered Yuna's room, and shut the door hard. Tidus looked at Gippal's shut door, and decided to go downstairs before he could start questioning him.

Tidus took a deep breath, and climbed onto the couch, watching highlights of the game that he had missed. "No more missing games for you, Yuna," he said out loud, flipping the switch on the sphere to turn it off, "I'm helping you get Baralai, and then it's over." With that, he closed his eyes, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

-

The next morning, Yuna wouldn't leave Tidus alone.

"What's your plan?" she asked him, right away as soon as Rikku and Gippal looked at each other and not at them.

"I can't tell you right now," Tidus said, smiling at her.

"Why not?" Yuna asked.

"Because," Tidus said, "I'll tell you tonight."

"I can't wait that long!" Yuna cried, her eyes bright.

"You're going to be all over him, just like those two," Tidus said, nodding toward Gippal and Rikku who were now enjoying a romantic staring moment, so intense that they didn't even notice that Tidus and Yuna were there.

"I am not," Yuna said.

"You're the happiest you've been since I've known you," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"I'm always happy!" Yuna argued.

"Tidus, turn your speakers off!" Tidus said, making his voice high-pitched and girly.

"Well, you were being annoying!" Yuna cried, "Please tell me the plan!"

"Tonight!"

"Fine," Yuna finally said, "But when tonight?"

"When it gets dark."

"It doesn't get dark until nine!"

"Well, don't go to bed so early, and maybe I'll tell you." Tidus gave her a sweet smile and Yuna just pouted. Oh well…She'd have to wait.

-

"Okay, tell me now!" Yuna cried, running up to Tidus, "It's dark!"

"Alright, alright," Tidus said, smiling, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Yuna asked.

"To the beach."

"Why?"

"Because Rikku and Gippal are here," Tidus whispered, as Rikku and Gippal laughed over the card game they were playing.

"Fine," Yuna said, and Tidus led her into the beautiful warm weather. The night was indeed warm, with a slight cool breeze blowing off of the ocean. The stars twinkled brightly above. The two walked slowly, unspeaking, although Yuna was about to burst with curiosity as to what Tidus was going to say. For a slight moment throughout the day, she had worried that Tidus actually didn't have anything to tell her, and that he was really just leading her on. Something told her that wasn't the case though.

"With a guy like Baralai," Tidus began, slowly, "You can't be as intimidating."

"I had no idea I was intimidating," Yuna said.

Tidus licked his lips, and pinched them together, forming a thin line between them, obviously expressing unhappiness. He looked almost hurt. "I told you at the party that I found you intimidating. And I don't lie, remember?"

"Sorry," Yuna said, "But why must I be less intimidating? I don't try to be intimidating!"

"A girl like you," Tidus said, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, "knows what she wants in a man. You are not easily led astray and you keep your standards high. Any man, especially one worthy of you, knows and understands this. That intimidates him."

Yuna blushed despite herself. "Do you mind if I ask how you know this?" she asked him.

Tidus laughed and said, "Let's just say I've been around enough girls. I understand them more than I understand Gippal, my own best friend." He chuckled, and then looked at Yuna from the corners of his eyes again. Yuna too glanced at him, but she had been glancing at him left and right.

Yuna hugged her arms and smiled, looking at the stars ahead of her. She was actually quite shocked that she was having this conversation with Tidus.

"Anyway," Tidus continued, "If you want Baralai, you have to pretend that you don't have standards, even if he meets them." Tidus swallowed, and continued. "You have to let loose and flirt a little; be straightforward."

Yuna laughed and said, "I can't believe you're giving me tips!"

"You need them," Tidus said, "And I'm your friend."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I don't know how to be straightforward with a guy."

"Trust me, it's way easier than your whole hard-to-get scheme," Tidus said, "You're just…out there. Tell him flat-out what you think, like a little kid does! You know, they say whatever's on their mind with no worry about the consequences. Act like you're the most innocent person ever."

"Alright…" Yuna trailed, "But how do I do that? I don't even know the first thing to say!"

Tidus turned to her, stopping their slow-paced walk, and said, "It's really easy. Here, I'll show you. Pretend that we were standing here talking about the weather or something."

"Okay," Yuna said, nodding to show that she understood.

"Now, bite your lip like this," Tidus said, curling his bottom lip under his front teeth. Yuna followed his example and Tidus said, "Good. Keep that look in your eyes, too. That whole, I-don't-really-know-what-I'm-doing look."

"Okay," Yuna said, trying not to move too much as she said that.

"Look him straight in the eyes," Tidus said, and Yuna's eyes instantly met his. "Flick your eyes side-to-side like this." Tidus' eyes gently went from side to side, but it seemed as if he was only looking at her deeper. Yuna followed.

"Alright," Tidus said, "Now, you take his hands in yours." Tidus reached across from himself and took Yuna's hands. "But never lose eye contact," Tidus said, and Yuna noticed his voice had dropped to just above a whisper, a very husky just above a whisper.

"Now, you say…" Tidus trailed, and Yuna sensed inner turmoil. His lips moved, but no sound came out. He looked as if unable to say.

"Say what?" Yuna asked, still holding his hands.

Tidus laughed and said, "This is kind of hard to do, since I'm pretending you're Baralai and all."

"Fine then," Yuna said, her hands beginning to grow warm in his, "Be yourself, talking to me."

"Well then," Tidus said, a small smile creeping onto his lips, "Here comes the straightforward part." He didn't say anything though, for he just continued to stare into her eyes, causing Yuna to give him a little shrug, as if in attempt to urge him on.

"Yuna, I love you." His words slowly began to sink into her, and she stood there, completely numb. Could he do that? Could he just say those words as if there was no meaning behind them, although he was standing there with her hands in his and his eyes on hers? Her heart slowly began to speed, despite the fact that she still felt numb.

"And then," Tidus finally continued, "You pull him close to you until your lips meet." He performed these actions as he spoke, and slowly pulled Yuna close to him, and sure enough, their lips met.

Yuna couldn't move. She couldn't close her eyes or anything. She just stood there, feeling completely dumfounded as her lips pressed tightly against Tidus'. Slowly his hands parted from hers, leaving behind what seemed like a fistful of warmth in her hands. He separated from her as their hands had, and she leaned back to where she had been, her expression completely of shock.

"And that's how you do it," Tidus said, shrugging.

It took Yuna a good ten seconds more before she finally came to her senses. "Tidus!" she cried, her voice angry as he started to walk away from her, "You just stole my first kiss!"

"Ah, so you hadn't kissed anybody before," Tidus said, "I totally bet on that with Gippal."

"You and your stupid bets!" Yuna cried, and to show her dismay she ran her arm over her mouth to wipe the kiss off, an action she immediately regretted. Even as the feeling left her lips because of her action, she felt a want--a desire almost!--to get that warmth back. The tingling in her hands was suddenly beginning to disappear as well.

Tidus was paying no attention to her though, for he was sitting down a ways from her, on to sand, close to the water, staring off thoughtfully across.

"Sorry for stealing your first kiss," he finally said as Yuna walked up to him, her arms crossed to show that she wasn't completely at peace with him.

"I can't exactly forgive you," Yuna said, "But maybe it doesn't count?"

Tidus shrugged and said, "I won't tell anybody."

For some reasons unknown to her, Yuna knew she felt a red blush painting her cheeks. She sighed softly and took a seat next to him, staring off into the distance, attempting to follow his gaze. "If you don't tell Gippal, doesn't that mean you lose the bet?" Yuna finally asked, unsure of what else to say.

"That doesn't really matter to me right now," Tidus said, and he looked at her, but only fleetingly. Silence followed then, and only the light breeze could be heard, along with the sound of a few light waves rolling up onto the sand.

"Thanks a lot for the tips," Yuna finally managed to sputter out, after what seemed like years of silence, "But I'm not sure I can pull it off."

Tidus shrugged nonchalantly, "If it's how you feel, it's not that hard."

Yuna gulped. What exactly did he mean by that? Yuna took a few deep breaths, telling herself that she was definitely thinking too deep into everything. She gave him a suspicious glance out from beneath the shield of her hair, wondering if he was purposely attempting to play with her. She shook her head, reminding herself that he was just her friend, and trying hard--possibly too hard--to be helpful.

"What if I don't feel that way?" Yuna asked then, realizing that Tidus may start to question her silence.

"You want to tell Baralai how you feel, right?" Tidus asked, "Because you feel guilty about not telling him sooner, and you want to tell him before it's too late."

Yuna looked at Tidus, and was surprised that he was looking back at her, with an expression that was impossible to read.

Nodding, Yuna said, "Well, yes, but…"

"Then trust me when I say this, Yuna: Don't wait any longer." He gave her a little smile that was slightly crooked, and stood up, stretching. "Gippal and Rikku are going to be wondering where we are," he said surely, "And if you want to win our bet, you can't let them be alone too long." He smiled and started back toward the house.

"Go ahead," Yuna said, leaning forward, "I need to think."

Tidus stopped and looked at her, and then said, "Alright. 'Night, Yuna."

"Goodnight, Tidus."

"Oh, and Yuna," Tidus said, "Sorry about stealing your first kiss."

"It didn't happen, remember?" Yuna said, smiling back at him.

Tidus slowly nodded, and he said, "Right." He walked off then, leaving Yuna alone.

Yuna sighed and looked at the ground. She couldn't help but hear disappointment in Tidus' voice. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was just forcing herself to hear that disappointment. Of course, that didn't settle things. Why would she want to hear that disappointment. She looked at that sky again. Even though she was attempting to deny it, she knew very well that no matter how she looked at it, he either liked her and she tried to tell herself that she was imagining it, or she really was imagining it, and in that case, she liked him.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she rested her head on her knees and sighed. She needed to go to sleep before she thought anything more of it. With that as her final thought, she started off toward her summer lodging, being sure to follow slowly behind Tidus.


	15. InnerTurmoil

I don't have a lot of time, but I did have a lof of fun writing this chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Inner-Turmoil

"How did you get my cell phone number?" Tidus asked, his voice annoyed. Yuna couldn't help but glance back at him, as she finished drying the remainder of the dishes from their dinner that night. He sounded tired, but she couldn't tell, for his back was to her.

"It's kind of late here," Tidus said, after a little bit of silence, "I'm on vacation." There was silence again, and Tidus said, "Yeah, I don't like to be bothered while I'm on vacation…I have to discuss it with my agent…Yeah, bye."

"Who was that?" Yuna asked, shocked that she had found a voice to talk to him. She had expected him to be asleep when she walked back into the house, or at least pretending to be, but he was talking on the phone. She had decided to dry the dishes that Rikku had already washed, with of course the double reason being that she could listen to Tidus' phone conversation.

"A college," Tidus said, his voice sounding tired again, "I don't know how they got my number."

"Oh," Yuna said, "Are you going to bed?"

"Yeah, it's been a tiring day."

Yuna wanted to ask him "how so?", but she kept her mouth closed, a thin line forming between her lips, for she had to keep them tightly shut to keep from asking that question. The day hadn't been very exhausting. The weather hadn't even been that warm.

Her heart seemed to fall into her stomach, for she knew why she found the day exhausting. She'd received her first kiss, after all, had she not? She felt instant pain in her stomach from thinking about it. She glanced over quickly at Tidus, but couldn't see him, for he was lying down on the couch.

"Tidus," Yuna said, shocked once more that she was able to find her voice, "Just go sleep with Gippal. Isn't it uncomfortable out here?"

She didn't hear an answer, which confused her, so she set down the last dish that she had dried, and walked around to the front of the couch, to see that he was fast asleep.

A slight snore came out of his mouth, but it was so slight that Yuna wondered if it was really Gippal—or perhaps even Rikku—from upstairs. His eyes weren't closed tightly, but nice and relaxed. She couldn't help but smile. She didn't think a guy like Tidus ever looked completely peaceful.

Yuna left him then, and quickly turned the lights off. She found her way upstairs, where sure enough, she could hear both Gippal and Rikku snoring loudly, probably exhausted from all of the running around they did. Yuna quickly got ready for bed, and walked into her room.

She crawled under the covers on her side of the bed and stared at the ceiling. Her feelings were incredibly mixed, and she couldn't even begin to sort them out. Whose side was Tidus on, anyway? Was he on hers? What he had showed her…the kiss and everything…was he serious? Did he really think that she should do what he did to her, and that it would make Baralai like her too? Yuna bit her lip softly. She knew Baralai liked her. She had been sure of it since the first day she met him. Even though they were young, she felt an instant attraction with him, and she was sure—positive even—that Baralai had felt it too. They were similar, she and Baralai, and that was why they had never let on that they liked each other. They were both competitive, and with each other especially. They were also both stubborn. Yuna wasn't going to admit to liking Baralai if he wasn't going to admit to liking her, and vice-versa.

Turning around, Yuna let out a sigh. She wanted to tell Baralai so badly how she felt, simply to get it off of her chest. It was hard for her to say just what she wanted her relationship to be with Baralai. She definitely wanted to be as close to him as she had been years before, but did she want to be even more close?

Throughout her childhood, adolescence, and teenaged years, she had pictured herself with Baralai. Even though she had feared that she would never see him again, she had closed her eyes every night to relive the memories she had shared with him, praying for a chance to see him once more, even if it was just to tell him how she felt. Perhaps she hadn't thought that the day would ever come, and that Baralai would just remain a memory. Especially now that Tidus was in the picture.

Yuna turned again. What exactly did she feel toward Tidus? For the past hour, all she could concentrate on was the feeling of his lips against hers. She replayed the scene over and over in her mind, and could still feel his hands enclosed in hers, his lips on hers, and his hot breath as he pulled away from her. Already the memory was becoming distant, and she figured it wouldn't be long before she couldn't remember any of the details that she was remembering. But just what had Tidus meant by that kiss?

He had of course played it off as if he was just showing Yuna how to get Baralai to kiss him, that Yuna was sure of. But was that all that he had meant it as? Or was there more behind that kiss? Yuna looked at the slumbering Rikku next to her. Had Tidus kissed Rikku? She tried to think if he would have had the chance or not, but she was uncertain. She rolled her eyes, deciding that it didn't matter if he had or not.

Turning the opposite way again, Yuna focused on the kiss again. Tidus hadn't seemed himself. Her cheeks instantly turned red as she recalled the look in his eyes, and the way he had said, "Yuna, I love you." It was so real. She had to fight back the urge to say that she loved him too. But was that just how he had attempted to make her feel, to show her how she could get Baralai to feel that way? Did he really not mean it at all? Or had he meant it entirely, and was simply trying to mask it by making her think he was just giving her hints?

She took a deep breath and tried to think rationally. Was Tidus the type of guy to actually love a girl? He had told her that he found love stupid, hadn't he? So when he told her he loved her, he couldn't have been telling the truth, could he?

Rationally speaking, Yuna knew people could change. But Tidus wasn't a normal person. Yes, people could change, but could Tidus change? She thought about how exhausted he seemed to be. Was he exhausted for the same reasons as she was? Was the inner-turmoil within him draining his energy?

Yuna almost laughed. What kind of inner-turmoil would Tidus have? He was sure of himself, completely experienced with the minds of women. He'd been around the block once or twice, and would happily admit it. If he really did like her, he would come out and say it. The small smile Yuna had slowly disappeared. Of course, if he'd wanted to sleep with her, he would have managed to lure her as well. True, he'd tried, but she got the feeling that he only tried half-heartedly. He had almost managed to pull Rikku in, hadn't he? So what was keeping him from taking her?

Yuna was growing weak, and was beginning to have trouble fighting it. If Tidus wanted her for the wrong reasons, she knew she'd give in, and soon. She knew a guy like Tidus would be able to know that, too. So what was keeping him?

And if he didn't love her, and if he didn't want her for other purposes, why was he keeping her around?

Yuna couldn't take it anymore. She forced her mind to stop thinking, and attempted to sleep. She finally drifted off, simply by relaxing and replaying the night over in her mind once again.

-

"By the way, you owe me a hundred gil," Tidus said to Gippal as the two walked through the village.

"Why? Luca hasn't beat Bevelle yet."

"Not that bet," Tidus said, "Yuna has never kissed a guy before."

"Damn," Gippal said, reaching in his pocket to pull out a hundred gil, "Why the hell hasn't she?"

Tidus shrugged and said, "Well, actually, she has."

"Hey, wait," Gippal said, pulling his money back from Tidus' grasp, "Why do I owe you money then?"

"You owe me another hundred," Tidus said, not smiling, "'Cause last night, we kissed."

"You rotten-son-of-a—."

"Just hand it over."

Gippal reached into his pocket to pull out another hundred, and he handed it to Tidus.

"I'll give you fifty of this back if you don't tell Rikku," Tidus said.

"Why can't I tell Rikku? What'd you do to Yuna?"

"Nothing," Tidus said, staring at Gippal hard, "Yuna doesn't want anybody to know."

Gippal laughed and said, "Why, she embarrassed?"

"It was her first kiss," Tidus said, "And she didn't want it to be with me."

Gippal looked confused and he said, "Alright, fifty gil and tell me why, and I won't tell Rikku."

"The guy next door, have you seen him?"

"The tan guy with the light hair?" Gippal asked.

"Yeah. He's Yuna's childhood friend."

"Ah," Gippal said, nodding with a smile, "Sucks to be you then."

Tidus looked at the ground and he said, "Yeah, it kind of does."

"Aren't you going to do something to sabotage them?" Gippal asked, "Play Yuna more than you have and kiss her in front of him or something?"

"Gip, I wasn't playing," Tidus said, shrugging, "I want her to be happy. It sounds stupid, I know, but she's a friend now."

"So you go around kissing friends?" Gippal asked, shaking his head, "Why'd you kiss her?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Tell me, and I'll let you keep the fifty gil," Gippal said, raising his eyebrows challengingly at his friend.

"Nope," Tidus said, shaking his head, "I've already told you too much…Hey, where's your girlfriend?"

"At the spa with Yuna," Gippal said, "Like they both announced this morning. Where's your head been?"

"Not here," Tidus answered, shaking his blonde hair, "I didn't even realize Rikku was gone. This is probably hard on you, being away from her like this."

"Ah, shut it," Gippal said, "Look at all the beautiful women around you, Tidus. Go pick one of them and be yourself. You seem a little down."

"I think I've matured, Gip," Tidus said, shaking his head, "You know, I keep picturing little should consciences appearing—you know, the whole devil/angel thing."

"…How does that mean you've matured?" Gippal asked, giving Tidus a look as if to ask if he was crazy.

"I've never felt that before," Tidus said, "I've just listened to the devil, and gone with whatever I wanted."

"So how many times have you listened to the angel?" Gippal asked, playing along.

"Uh, once out of three times," came Tidus' answer.

"So about a fourth of the time."

"Isn't that more like half of the time?"

"No, it's less than half! It's a fourth!"

"Gip, my math grade was better than yours, it's definitely half."

"Dude, we both failed."

"Yeah, but I got an F+."

"There's no such thing as an F+!"

"Is too. Ms. Belgimine gave it to me, winked, and said, "This will keep you on the team."'

"What'd you do, sleep with her?"

"No, I was too busy messing around with her student teacher. You know, that college girl, what was she, twenty-four or so?"

"No way, I was screwing around with her!"

"Gip, we promised we wouldn't screw the same girl!"

Tidus couldn't help but laugh. As they reached the beach, he couldn't help but feel as if it was the summer before, when he'd done nothing but partied, blitzed, played girls, and hung out with Gippal. Things certainly had changed.

Perhaps that's why he suddenly felt a wave of bravery go throughout him.

"Hey Gip," Tidus said, "Back on subject…About maturity and all that."

"Right," Gippal said, "Screwing math teachers' student teachers really wasn't a very mature thing to do."

"No," Tidus said, shaking his head, "And I've come to realize that."

"So what happened?" Gippal asked, "I'll be honest, Rikku does totally have me whipped."

Tidus made an annoyed sound, and he said, "At least you can admit it."

"But I'm glad," Gippal continued, "I really am. So what happened to you?"

Tidus began to debate on whether or not he should tell his friend.

"See, right now!" Tidus cried, shocking Gippal, "I can't choose! I can either tell you, and embarrass the hell outta myself, or I can just keep it in me. This kind of thing never used to happen before!"

"What is wrong?" Gippal said, seeming taken aback, "Just spill it, Tidus. I'm the one that's whipped, remember? So who cares?"

"Right," Tidus said, "But I think I'm getting whipped too."

Gippal started to say something, but he stopped.

"You mean by Yuna?" he finally said, "Ti, I thought you said she liked the neighbor guy!"

"She does," Tidus said, softly, "And he's totally her type. He's smart, and studious, and rich acting, and likes to read…"

"And this bothers you?" Gippal asked, raising his eyebrows, "Give it up, bud, you're not getting into her pants."

"Gip, it's not about that!" Tidus cried, "I've never been jealous before, and I am! Of some stupid golf-player!"

"Whoa, he plays golf?" Gippal gasped, "What kind of freak plays that when there's a game like blitzball out there?"

"I don't know!" Tidus cried, "Did you know that Yuna hadn't even touched a blitzball until she met me?"

Gippal looked like he could die. "You're kidding me!" he cried.

"It's like she's lived in a hole her whole life!" Tidus cried, "But she seemed to really like it when I took her to a Termite game. Her eyes were all lit up, and she…" Tidus trailed.

"Sorry Ti," Gippal said, shrugging, "But a girl who hasn't even played blitz? She's way outta your league."

"I know," Tidus said, shaking his head, "But it's really hard to get her out of my mind."

"Dude, you're in love," Gippal said, giving Tidus was appeared to be a disgusted look.

Tidus didn't say anything. He wanted desperately to deny it, to laugh and say he just wanted to sleep with her, but he couldn't. He just stood there, unmoving.

"Did you tell her?" Gippal asked.

"…In a weird kind of way," Tidus said slowly.

"What'd you say?"

"I said, "Yuna, I love you."'

"So how is that a weird sort of way?"

"I made it seem as if I was just showing her what she should say to Baralai," Tidus said, "Which I kind of was. If she did to Baralai what I did to her, he'll be hers easily."

"Is that what she wants?" Gippal asked, his tone serious.

It took some time for Tidus to answer, but he finally said a soft, "Yes."

Gippal gave a shrug and said, "Then I'm sorry buddy, but you'll just have to give up."

"I know," Tidus said, taking a deep breath, "I know. Hey Gip, promise you won't tell Rikku about any of this?"

Gippal nodded and he said, "I promise."

-

"I just love pedicures!" Rikku cried, dipping her feet into the warm water beneath her, "Don't you, Yunie?"

Yuna simply nodded.

"Hey, what gives Yunie?" Rikku asked, "I've been trying super hard not to talk about Gippal, but you're not saying anything! I don't know what else to talk about!"

"Sorry Rikku," Yuna said, "I didn't sleep well last night."

"Why not? Hey, and where were Tidus and you all night? You got a thing for him, Yunie? You know, Gippal told me that maybe a girl like you could tame Tidus a little. You definitely have the upper edge on him."

Yuna curled her lip under her teeth, biting it softly. She glanced at her cousin and sighed.

"Rikku," she said softly, "Tidus kissed me last night."

"Oh Yevon, really?" Rikku cried, her eyes wide with shock, "What was it like? You pushed him away, I hope."

"It was weird," Yuna said, taking a deep breath, "He was…Showing me something."

"…Showing you what?" Rikku asked slowly.

"Have you met my neighbor?" Yuna asked then.

"Tidus? Yeah."

"No, the neighbor at the summer home."

"Oh yeah, Baralai was it? That guy you used to hang out with every summer. Gippal and I saw him yesterday."

Yuna swallowed hard. Could she really tell Rikku? She figured she didn't have much of a choice.

"I kind of have a crush on him," Yuna said.

"Wait, you have a crush on Baralai, but yet you were kissing Tidus?"

"Tidus kissed me, remember," Yuna said, "And I'm not entirely sure he meant anything by the kiss."

"Okay, so what was he showing you?"

"Tidus said he'd help me tell Baralai how I feel about him. So Tidus took me out last night to show me what I should do to get Baralai to like me."

"Ah, and then he kissed you?" Rikku said, after telling the nail artist that she wanted her nails down in pink.

"Yeah," Yuna said, "He told me that he could make anybody fall in love with him. Do you think he was just toying with me, or did he really want to help me out?"

"So you do think he meant something by the kiss," Rikku said, giving her cousin a suspicious glance.

"I think he may have wanted me to think he meant something by the kiss," Yuna said, "I don't know, I'm so confused."

"Tidus is a player," Rikku reminded her cousin, "So he's probably right when he says he knows how to make people fall in love with him…Wait, are you trying to say that you're in love with him?" Rikku faced her cousin with shock plastered across her face.

Yuna swallowed and said, "I don't know."

"Yunie, I like Tidus. The more I hang around him, the more I realize he's not such a bad guy after all. But he's a manipulator. The biggest manipulator I have ever met. He can make you believe he's Yevon, and with those looks of his, he really could be. I bet he could get me to cheat on Gippal with him if he wanted to, and I love Gippal. Not that that's a thought or anything, just an example," Rikku added with a blush.

"I know he is," Yuna said, "But he's been weird these last few days. He's almost quiet, and calm, and…Thoughtful. It's really weird."

Rikku twisted her mouth in thought and said, "But you like Baralai, right?"

Yuna couldn't answer. Finally, she said, "I _did_ like Baralai."

"Well he's cute," Rikku said quickly, "And probably more your type than Tidus."

"I know," Yuna said, nodding, although she knew her cousin was trying to distract her from Tidus, "It's just that…I can't get Tidus off of my mind. It's driving me crazy!"

"Focus on Baralai instead," Rikku said, giving her cousin a little smile, "And remind yourself that Tidus probably was just manipulating you. Do you want me to punch him for you?"

Yuna smiled at her cousin and said, "No. But what if it's too late…What if I already like Tidus too much?"

"Yunie, don't do this," Rikku said, "Really, I saw that Baralai guy, and he looks amazing. And you told me all of the fun things you used to do when you were little! He'd be great for you. I just know it. Once you hook up with him, I'm sure Tidus will totally never be in your mind again."

Yuna nodded slowly and said, "So you think that's what I should do?"

Rikku smiled cheerfully and said, "Definitely."

"What's poor Tidus going to do if I hook up with Baralai? We still have four days left here in Besaid."

"We'll hang out with him," Rikku said, "Poor guy…He'll be the fourth wheel out!"

"So you don't think Tidus meant anything by the kiss?"

"Of course not!" Rikku said, laughing, "It's not like he convincingly managed to tell you he loved you or anything!"

Yuna's heart sank to her gut. He had. She opened her mouth to voice this, but her cousin was too busy directing the nail artist to paint a flower on her big toe. So, Yuna swallowed and shut her mouth tight.

That night, she decided, she was going to have a talk with Baralai. She was going to settle things right then and there.


	16. Just Yuna

Well, it's officially been a month now since I published this on the site! Thank you all for the reviews! Right now I'm currently writing chatper 20, and it's not going so well...I've hit my first writer's block on this story. Oh well, hopefully I'll get over it by the time I get to that chapter! In the meantime, enjoy!

Chapter 16: Just Yuna

Tidus was in the kitchen when Yuna came down the stairs, which caused a slight moment of panic.

"Tidus," Yuna said, hoping the treble in her voice was unnoticeable, "What are you doing here? I thought you went with Rikku and Gippal to get something to eat!"

"I'm not hungry," came Tidus' simple reply.

Another wave of panic swept through Yuna. Did he want to hang out with her then? Yuna blushed underneath the heavy layer of blush that she had already added to her rather made-up face.

Tidus swallowed and he said, "Rikku said you have a little date with Baralai."

"Oh, yeah," Yuna said, blushing even more.

"You gonna try out what I showed you?" Tidus asked, a very faint and small smile on his lips.

"Possibly," came Yuna's answer, barely above a whisper.

Tidus gave her a wider smile, although it was still faint, and he said, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Yuna said, her voice still very soft, "See you later?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "I'm planning on walking down the beach to see what trouble I can get into."

"Oh," Yuna said, her voice still soft.

Tidus' eyes watched hers, and then he laughed, saying, "I'm kidding about the trouble thing."

"I know," came Yuna's answer, "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Yuna rushed past him then, simply glad to get away.

"Hey Yuna?" Tidus asked before Yuna was completely safe. She turned around to face him, and he just gave her a little smile and asked, "How come you never go all-out when you're going to see me?"

"You know the answer to the question," Yuna said, hoping she wasn't blushing more. Perhaps all the makeup and stuff had been too much.

Tidus gave a little half smile and said, "See ya."

Yuna simply shook her head and marched out the door, shutting it tightly behind her. As soon as she was alone, she looked up at the stars and sighed. She knew she was doing the right thing. With that, she turned to Baralai's house, hoping all went according to plan.

-

Tidus sat down and stared off into space. Besaid's blitz team had begged him to hang out with them again, but Tidus turned them down. True, if any night was a good night to get wasted, it would be this night. Even so, Tidus just didn't have it in him.

He wondered what Yuna was going to tell Baralai. He wondered if she would replicate his actions from the night before to securely fasten Baralai as hers. In a way, he found it sweet. Childhood friends, perfect for each other. He imagined the smile that would be on Yuna's face the next time he saw her. He figured it would be the same dorky smile that Gippal constantly had spread across his lips. That stupid smile that said, "I'm in love!"

Tidus rolled the sand into a pile, and then squeezed it with all of his might. He was holding back curses that he wanted to shout into the nothingness that was the ocean.

He was too late. If he would have just sucked it up and realized how he felt earlier, everything would be fine. He wouldn't be sitting on the beach, completely alone, wanting to scream curses into the air. He wouldn't want to strangle imaginary shoulder consciences. He wouldn't wish that he was the one sitting there with that stupid "I'm in love" smile plastered across his face.

Tidus fell over, lying onto his back. His head hit the sand rather hard, but he didn't care. His eyes slowly blurred over, but eventually his vision returned to its perfection, and the stars came into view. It was a lovely night for her to express her feelings. Tidus frowned. Almost too lovely, too perfect. He remembered his earlier conversation with Gippal, and Gippal's advice to thwart Yuna's plan.

Tidus sat up quickly, wondering if it really was too late. Could he simply find where they were, march between them, and cry out that he really did like Yuna? Tidus fell back to the sand, his head hitting hard again. Of course it was too late. He'd seen the way she was dressed. She wasn't dressed with hopes of being thwarted. She was serious, and it was something he'd simply have to accept and get over, as her _friend_.

He looked up, staring at the orange moon that hung low in the sky, casting off a very bright picturesque view across the ocean. It was a night of romance, something he'd already previously seen sparkled throughout Gippal and Rikku's eyes. He'd sensed it in Yuna's as well, although she'd been trying hard to hide it. He figured it was glowing in Baralai's eyes too. Baralai's _dumb_ eyes, Tidus was sure to add in his head.

Tidus threw on a pout. Baralai wasn't bad looking, but Tidus knew he was much better looking. Besides, Tidus realized not long ago that he'd seen Baralai before, at the dork camp across from blitz camp. It bothered Tidus to know that Yuna was in love with such a dork, but Tidus had to remind himself that a dork was probably what Yuna desired. Tidus almost laughed to himself. If it was a dork she wanted, she'd probably chosen the right one. But even if she had begged Tidus to give in and be a dork too, he wouldn't have. Not even for Yuna.

Crossing his arms as a cold breeze swept off of the ocean, Tidus closed his eyes. He wondered where Yuna and Baralai were. Were the on the beach as well? Perhaps he shouldn't be, for he would probably feel sick if they walked up on him, unsuspecting. Either that, or he would lose it and ruin the night for Yuna, which was something he definitely did not want to do. It needed to be a great night for her, a night she'd remember. He didn't know what her plans were exactly, but whatever they were, they needed to go flawless.

Tidus couldn't help but feel torn as he realized that he had a sudden urge to follow the two, to do whatever he could to make sure things were going according to plan. Perhaps he could sing a nice romantic song for them. Or perhaps he could lead them to a romantic area. Or perhaps he could… Tidus trailed. He knew the best thing he could do was to stay as far away from them as possible. They would probably want some alone-time, after all.

A twinge of worry went through his stomach, as he wondered how the rest of the trip was going to go. Actually, he grew even more worried as he realized that this new relationship could change his entire summer. Yuna wouldn't just be there anymore. Who knew, perhaps she'd even leave town to be closer to Baralai. Tidus' stomach began to hurt. How he'd taken her for granted!

Tidus almost pulled his phone out to call Dona. Wasn't she in Kilika or Luca, or one of those places? He could be there by boat in just an hour or so. He could spend the rest of the summer with her.

Thinking of Dona simply made Tidus' stomach more pained, so he quickly brushed her out of his head. He was done using her as his comfort object. He wasn't going to see her again, and that was how it had to be. He quickly pulled his cell phone out, and to prove this, deleted her number.

Then, with a sigh, he placed his phone back in his pocket, and returned to the frenzied state he was in.

He wondered what step Yuna and Baralai were on. Had Yuna taken his hands yet? Had she dropped the l-word yet? Had they kissed yet? Perhaps he needed to spy on them. Perhaps he needed to see them. Perhaps he needed to… Tidus sighed again. He had to remain where he was and stop thinking about it.

He sat up, momentarily deciding to go find that blitz team. He needed something, anything. Anybody. He glanced toward the village, the lights from the village fires still visible. It would be easy for him to sneak into their little groups. Who knew, he could find somebody perfect for him. Then, he could walk up the next morning with a girl in his arms.

Tidus' eyes burst open. That was it! He'd make Yuna jealous!

Tidus instantly fell back down. Jealous of what? She had what she wanted. She wouldn't be jealous of some whore he'd picked up. She hadn't been jealous of Rikku, after all.

Tidus took a large gulp of air and then let it exit his mouth slowly. Perhaps he needed to go to bed. In the morning, he could figure out what had happened. In the morning, he could pack his bags and get out of there.

Perhaps, he even told himself, it wasn't too late to sign for up for blitz camp. Things seemed a lot less stressful when he wasn't there.

His eyes closed again. Was it just last summer he'd ran around, doing whatever he pleased, with Gippal faithfully at his side, and Dona around whenever he needed her? People had always surrounded him back then. Teammates… He didn't even have teammates anymore! Tidus opened his eyes slowly. Was it just him, or was his life slowly falling apart? He had no team, no friends, no Yuna… Tidus shook his head, not caring that sand was inching its way into his hair. His life wasn't falling apart. It was just Yuna. Just some girl. Just Yuna…

Tidus was about to stand up. He needed to get wasted. He needed to wake up in the morning and not remember a single thing that had happened that week. And then he could go home. He didn't care how he got there, but he had to go. He had to go home. He had to find a girlfriend, he had to find friends…Perhaps he'd even adopt a dog. Brutus had been nice enough. He smiled momentarily, thinking that perhaps Yuna would want to come over and play with Brutus. His smile faded instantly though, for he reminded himself that people changed when they fell in love. Gippal was a prime example.

Tidus closed his eyes once more. He was defeated. He had lost. His mind drifted back to his senior year of high school, and his undefeated blitzball record. As that record showed, he wasn't used to losing.

"Damn you Yuna," Tidus muttered under his breath, "Damn you love. Damn you Gippal. Damn you Rikku. Damn you Besaid. And most importantly, damn you stupid-know-it-all Baralai. I should have dropped that water balloon on you last year at camp when I had the chance."

"Is it really fair to bring Gippal and Rikku into this?"

Tidus jumped, his eyes flashing open. He turned to his side, only to see Yuna kneeling there, a slight smile on her face.

"Damn Yuna, don't sneak up on me like that!" Tidus cried, but his eyes shone bright. What was she doing?

"I'm sorry," Yuna said, "But you already damned me, remember?"

"How long have you been there?" Tidus asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"A little while," Yuna said, "You seem confused. Something bothering you?"

Tidus couldn't help but stare into her eyes. How did she act as if nothing was going on?

"Why are you here?" Tidus asked, the first question that popped into his mind.

Yuna continued to smile her slight smile, and she shrugged and said, "I don't know. It's nice out here."

"Why aren't you with Baralai?" Tidus shot the next question that came to mind.

Yuna shrugged and said, "Would you rather I was with him?"

"Well no, or…Well, I…" Tidus trailed.

Yuna laughed and said, "I'm done talking to him."

"Oh no, did he turn you down?" Tidus asked, sitting completely erect, "Look Yuna, I'll go tell him how awesome you are, and then maybe he'll—."

Yuna laughed again, interrupting Tidus' words, and said, "He didn't turn me down."

"Oh," came Tidus' short answer.

"You seem disappointed," Yuna said, smiling.

"Not disappointed," Tidus said quickly, "Just confused. Where is he?"

"At his house," came Yuna's answer.

"Why aren't you with him?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "Should I be?"

"Well…" Tidus shook his head, but then nodded, but then shook his head again. She was confusing him.

She laughed at him, and said, "We talked for a while, and I told him how I felt."

"Just like I told you to?" Tidus asked, not sure if he was hopeful or not.

"…Not exactly," came Yuna's answer, "I told him that I had feelings for him when we younger. He told me that he had feelings for me too."

"Okay, great," Tidus said, "Then what?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "I told him that I had really missed him, and he said that he had missed me too."

"Okay, great," Tidus repeated himself, "And then…?"

"And then I said that I was glad I got to see him again, and he said that he was glad to see me again as well."

Tidus couldn't seem to take the suspension anymore, so he formed his own ideas. "And then you kissed?" he asked.

Yuna laughed and said, "No."

"Why not?" Tidus asked, feeling more and more confused.

"Because," Yuna said, swallowing, "We both had feelings for each other from back when we were kids!"

"Yeah, but don't you still?" Tidus asked.

Yuna gave him a small smile, and she said, "Well, we thought we did."

"Great, then go back to him and—."

Yuna cut him off. "Is that what you want me to do, Tidus?" she asked him, her voice slow, careful.

Tidus' eyes met hers, and he found it impossible to read her. He swallowed and said, "I have no part in this."

Yuna didn't say anything. She just continued to stare into his eyes, making him almost shift uncomfortably.

He controlled himself and said, "What I want is what you want. If you like him, go for it. That's what I'd want."

Yuna looked at the ocean out before her, taking her eyes away from Tidus'. "What if that's not what I want," she said softly.

"Then I'd have to ask you what it is exactly that you want," Tidus said, in a sad attempt to keep his cool. He felt a mixture of happiness that she wasn't with Baralai, but yet a wave of frustration. She was making this very difficult for him.

Yuna moved her lips, but no sound emerged. He wondered if she was having a difficult time as well.

Finally, Yuna licked her lips, and said, "I want you."

Tidus blinked a few times. She refused to look at him, instead focusing her attention straight out in front of her. Tidus wished he could push an instant-replay option, like refs did when they were unsure of a blitz call. Had she really just said that? Had those three simple words just emerged from her mouth?

"Well then," Tidus said, getting a hold of himself again, "In that case, then I want you too."

Yuna's head instantly snapped to the side, meeting his eyes with hers again. She seemed completely shocked, as if she had never expected to hear those words come from Tidus' mouth. Perhaps she too was begging for an instant-replay option.

The two just sat there, completely in silence. Finally, with her cheeks completely crimson, Yuna sat up straight like Tidus, and took her hands in his. Although she was trying to conceal it, she had a huge cheeky smile across her face, and she said, "Tidus, I love you!"

Tidus laughed loudly and said, "Yuna, that only works when we're standing!"

Yuna's smile instantly faded, and she looked sad.

Still laughing, Tidus said, "When you're sitting like this, it goes like this." He dropped her hands and leaned back slightly, and cupped her face with his hand. She seemed shocked at his touch, but she didn't pull away or move at all.

Dropping his voice low, Tidus said, "Yuna, I love you," and gently pulled her toward him, until their lips met.

It was a soft, gentle kiss as the one had been before, but when they pulled away, Yuna didn't yell or act flustered. The two simply gazed into each other's eyes, in the warm glow of the orange moon.

"So, Yuna," Tidus said after a while, "How was that for a first kiss?"

Yuna laughed and said, "Second, you mean?"

"I thought the first didn't count!"

"Well, you made Gippal pay you, didn't you?" Yuna asked, laughing, "That was low of you, Tidus, to bet that you could kiss me."

Tidus' smile faded and he said, "I know it was. Want me to split the money with you?"

"No," came Yuna's reply, "Was that the whole reason you did it?"

"Of course not!" came Tidus' answer, "I was showing you what to do with Baralai, remember?"

Yuna looked down and said, "Is that the only reason?"

Tidus gave her a thoughtful look, before he finally answered, "I don't know."

Yuna laughed and said, "How can you not know?"

"You're complicated, Yuna," Tidus said, "I don't know why I do what I do when I'm around you."

"And the second kiss…?"

"Meant something," Tidus finished for her, and he gave her a cheeky smile and stood up, "Now that one I know for sure."

Yuna was motionless. For some reason, she was having trouble fathoming what had just happened in the last ten minutes. Was Tidus…hers? And she…his? She sat there, uncertain as to what to do, uncertain as to how everything worked.

Tidus raised one of his eyebrows, looking at her rather confused, and said, "You okay?"

Yuna found herself feeling momentarily shocked at his question, but she finally looked away from him, and asked her the question that was on her mind. "When you say love," she started softly, still unable to look at him, "What exactly do you mean?"

"It's a meaningless word," Tidus said, his expressions suddenly sharp, almost angry. His reply didn't surprise Yuna at all, however.

"So when you say you love me," Yuna continued, her voice still soft and her eyes still unable to meet his, "You don't mean it."

To her surprise, Tidus laughed, and he squatted down next to her.

"I don't believe in love," he said quickly, although Yuna noticed doubt in his eyes when he said that, "But if I did, you would be the reason why."

Yuna thought her heart was going to stop. Was that a rehearsed line or one he'd said just for her?

Noticing the alarmed look in Yuna's eyes, Tidus' smile fell and he said, "What?"

Yuna sighed, knowing she had to be honest with him.

"How many times have you said that to someone?" she asked, her eyes serious as she was finally able to look at him.

Tidus laughed again and said, "I promise Yuna, _that _line? Never."

Yuna smiled a little smile at him, and said, "So what do you usually tell the ladies?"

Tidus suddenly leaned close to her, causing her to almost lean backwards, and said, "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Yuna cried, pouting.

"Because," Tidus said, "It's my secret."

"Because you don't want me to recognize when you tell it to me."

Tidus looked at her thoughtfully and said, "No, it's because I don't even know what I say."

Yuna shook her head and said, "I know better."

Tidus sighed loudly, saying, "It's not like that, Yuna. You have no idea how much I—." Tidus stopped. Even now he was having a difficult time. He swallowed loudly and took a deep breath, and continued, "You have no idea how much I like you."

His words took Yuna aback. Her eyes searched him, searching for any sign of a lie, any sign of a jest. She found none.

"Tidus," she breathed softly, "I don't know if I can trust you or not."

She was surprised to hear his laughter in response.

"I don't blame you," he said, amusement in his voice, "But you just have to. Really, you do."

Yuna gave him a meek little smile, and she said, "Right, you don't lie, after all."

"Exactly," Tidus said, smiling incredibly wide.

"True, you tell people you love them when you don't even think love exists…"

"Well, Rikku and Gippal seem to be proving me wrong on that," Tidus said with an eye roll, "Have you heard how many times they coo about how much they love each other?"

Yuna laughed and said, "I think love is real."

A slight half smile appeared on Tidus' lips, and he said, "Do you think you love me?"

Yuna's cheeks blushed, but she said, "It's a possibility."

"Well then, maybe I'll make an exception to my theory," Tidus said, "Maybe I think I do love you."

"Maybe?" Yuna asked, as she hid a smile.

"Maybe," came Tidus' answer. With that, he leaned toward her again, and once more, their lips pressed tightly together in the soft glow of the orange moon.


	17. The Cliff

Thank you everybody for all of your reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you guys are happy that Tidus and Yuna are together. This is (if I remember correctly...) just a little fluffy-ish chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 17: The Cliff

Yuna felt Tidus' arm go around her, and he pulled her even closer to him than she already was. She blushed, thinking that this was the first time she had ever sat so close to anybody. It was late, and the two were sitting on the couch, waiting patiently for Gippal and Rikku to get back. It was going on one o'clock in the morning, nearly three hours past the ten o'clock curfew that Yuna had set up. Even so, Yuna wasn't about to complain. As far as she cared, they could be out all night.

"Get it," Tidus suddenly said between his teeth, and Yuna felt him sit up straight, "Get that ball!"

They were of course watching a blitzball—a classical game, apparently. Tidus had explained that more than thirty years ago, there had been a huge game where the Zanarkand had taken on Luca for the biggest cup ever. Zanarkand, as Tidus had explained, were the underdogs, and had worked extremely hard to make it to the final play-offs. Luca, Tidus told her, was the best team in the league hands-down. But Zanarkand was about to beat them.

Tidus had seen the game millions of times, he told her, but even so, he still seemed to get riled up over it.

"Did you see that save?" he cried, looking at her with a huge smile across his face, "That goalie was the best goalie Zanarkand's ever had!"

Yuna laughed and said, "Is Zanarkand the team you want to play for someday?"

"Well of course," Tidus said, giving her an almost shocked smile, "They're the team I'm _going _to play for someday."  
"Does that mean you want to play college in Zanarkand?" Yuna asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Well, kind of," Tidus said, shrugging, "But I have to play for the school that gives me the best deal." He laughed. "So far I'm breaking records with the offers I'm getting."

Yuna realized that she knew little about this little fight that colleges were having over Tidus. Her smile fading, she realized that she knew little about Tidus.

"Tidus, what's your favorite color?" she asked softly.

"Blue," came Tidus' reply.

"Any reason why?" Yuna asked.

"It's the color of the water," Tidus said, pointing to the blitz sphere that the blitzball game was occurring on, "What's yours?"

"I don't know, pink maybe," came Yuna's answer.

"Pink?" Tidus asked, looking at her, "Why?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "Girls seem to like that color, don't they?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tidus said, "There's a girls' blitz team, and their colors are pink. It's Luca's girls' team, I think."

"Cool," Yuna said, "I didn't know girls played blitzball."

Tidus laughed and said, "Some do. Not like boys though."

Yuna was about to say something to his comment when she heard Rikku and Gippal's laughter float in through the open window.

"They're home," Tidus said, taking his arm from around Yuna's shoulders, much to her dismay. He slid apart from her, and leaned his arm on the arm of the couch, and his head in is hands. He gave Yuna a side-glance though, and then took her hand in his, causing her to blush again.

"Hey, sorry we're late!" Rikku's voice was heard as she bounced into the living area, "I can't believe you guys aren't outside! The moon is beautiful!"

Yuna stole a quick glance at Tidus, making it as inconspicuous as she could. Rikku and Gippal couldn't see their enclosed hand, and they had no idea that the two were as close as they were.

"Well, did you talk to Baralai?" Rikku chirped, her smiling face staring straight at Yuna, while Gippal remained silently and faithfully at Rikku's side.

"Yes, I did," came Yuna's answer.

"What'd he say?" Rikku cried, her eyes shining.

"Not much," Yuna said, "He's leaving tomorrow." Which was the truth. Baralai was returning to Luca the next day. Not that that had anything to do with Yuna's decision…

"Oh Yunie, I'm so sorry to hear that!" Rikku cried, and she walked into the front of the couch, causing Yuna to tense up slightly, "Well, that's alright, you got his—." Rikku stopped, as soon as she saw Tidus and Yuna's enclosed hands.

"Why are you two holding hands?" she asked, her voice no longer high-pitched and excited. Gippal looked too, and gave the two a confused look.

"What, we're holding hands?" Tidus cried, pulling his hand from Yuna's, "Yuna, why the hell are we holding hands?"

"I don't know," Yuna said, matching Tidus' disgusted tone, "Why are we?"

"Man, that's weird," Tidus said.

"Yeah, how awkward," Yuna added, and the two deliberately looked away from each other.

Rikku wasn't easily misled, and she crossed her arms.

"Spill the beans, you two," she said, tapping her foot.

Yuna laughed and said, "It's late, see you all in the morning!"

"Yeah, I'm sleeping with you tonight Gip. Good night love birds!" Tidus cried, hopping up after Yuna and following her toward the stairs.

Yuna and Tidus bounded up the stairs then, both suppressing giggles for reasons unknown to them. As soon as they reached the top of the stairs, Tidus slipped his arm around Yuna's waist and brought her in for a quick kiss, and said, "Good night Yuna!"

"Hey!" Yuna cried after him, but he had already ran into Gippal's room and shut the door. Yuna simply smiled to herself and went into the room she shared with Rikku, all ready to go to bed. It had been an extremely long day, after all.

She had just crawled in bed when she felt Rikku hop in next to her.

"Yunie, I know you're not sleeping!" she said, poking Yuna in the back.

Yuna turned to face her cousin, and said, "What?"

"What is up with Tidus and you?" she asked her eyes wide and unable to read.

Yuna sat up and sighed, saying, "He's kind of my…boyfriend."

"Kind of?" came Rikku's reply.

"Alright, he is," Yuna said, blushing. Was he really? She knew he was, but she was still having trouble believing it. Was it real? Was she dreaming?

"Wow," Rikku said, "I guess it's really no big deal, but…"

"But what?" Yuna asked.

"I just can't believe it, that's all," Rikku said, but she smiled, "I'm glad."

"I thought you'd be upset!"

"If he's serious, then I guess I'm alright," Rikku said, "Gippal told me that Tidus really likes you."

"Really?" Yuna asked, blushing again, although Tidus had flat-out told her so, "He told Gippal that?"

"Yeah, earlier while we were at the spa," Rikku said, nudging her cousin, "We can go on double dates now!"

Yuna laughed. The idea of double dates—well, dating period!—was so new to her.

"I just can't believe that you two started to like each other," Rikku said, eyeing her cousin, "No offense or anything, but you two are as different as night and day!"

"I know," Yuna said, sighing, "I guess it's true when they say opposites attract."

"Yeah," Rikku said slowly, "I guess so, but Gippal and I are so similar."

Yuna smiled. For the first time that summer, she felt happy to have the conversation switch to Rikku and Gippal. Yuna let Rikku ramble on, and eventually drifted into a perfect sleep.

-

"Why the hell are you sleeping with me?" Gippal moaned, as he walked into what had been his room to see Tidus sprawled out in the middle of what had been his bed.

Tidus yawned and said, "I'm tired of the couch. It's open though if you want it."

"Scoot over," Gippal just said, and Tidus did as told, "Why the hell is it okay now?"

"I came to senses with my love for you," Tidus said, laughing.

"That reminds me," Gippal said quickly, ignoring Tidus, "What the hell is up with Yuna and you?"

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, "Yuna who?"

"Don't be a smartass, Tidus, you know who."

Tidus shrugged. "Just some girl I mess around with," he said.

To his surprise, Gippal suddenly turned to face him violently and said, "You better not be serious, or I'll—."

"Whoa, you'll what?" Tidus cried, taken aback, "Gip, I'm kidding!"

"Sorry," Gippal said, relaxing, "It's just, Rikku cares so much about her."

"Yeah, well so do I," Tidus said quickly.

Gippal gave him a surprised glance and said, "Good. I'm happy for you two."

Tidus glanced at his friend and said, "You are?"

"Yeah. I thought it was too late for you."

"Yuna came to her senses," Tidus said, smiling a pleased smile.

"Yevon, I'm telling you right now Tidus, drop the ego or you're going to lose her."

"I'm kidding," Tidus said, "I know. I can't be a jerk anymore."

"Do you realize what this means?" Gippal asked Tidus, in almost a fatherly way, "You can't party anymore. You can't sleep around anymore. You have a commitment now, Tidus. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Of course," Tidus said surely. Of course he could…

"I don't mean to be like this, man," Gippal said, glancing at his friend again, "But if you hurt Yuna, it's going to hurt Rikku, and I'm going to hurt you."

Tidus looked at his friend to see if there was jest, but there wasn't. Gippal was serious.

"Relax Gippal," Tidus said, "The last thing I want to do is hurt Yuna. It'd kill me to see her cry."

Gippal smiled and said, "It's about time you came around."

"Dude, I'm feeling sick," Tidus said, rolling onto his stomach.

"It's called love, Tidus. Just accept defeat and move on."

"Ugh," Tidus just said into his pillow.

Gippal laughed and said, "She's perfect for you, Tidus."

"She's gonna have me whipped."

"It's not so bad," Gippal said, laughing.

Tidus sighed and said, "Yeah, I know."

"Okay, now go back to the couch," Gippal said, facing the opposite direction of Tidus.

"But Gip, I thought you loved me!" Tidus cried, laughing, "I told you, you go to the couch."

"Come on Tidus! You know, Rikku and I are getting up really early to watch the sunrise. You wanna come with Yuna?"

"No," came Tidus' answer.

"Why not?" Gippal cried.

"I can't get up that early!" came Tidus' quick answer.

"Fine, but Yuna might be disappointed. You can't be selfish in a relationship, Tidus."

"I can be selfish if I want," Tidus said into his pillow, causing his statement to be muffled.

"Don't make me hurt you," came Gippal's response to that.

"Dude Gip, you're gonna have me more whipped that Yuna will!" Tidus cried, and he yawned loudly, "Goodnight, Gippal."

"Goodnight," Gippal said, "We sound like pussies."

"Hey, you're the one that won't go to the couch."

"No, you're the one that won't go to the couch," Gippal reminded him.

Tidus simply pretended to already be asleep.

-

"You're up early," Yuna said, as the first thing she saw when she came down the stairs was Tidus, sitting at the kitchen, reading… Yuna stopped. "Why are you reading my book?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"I didn't know you read romance novels," Tidus said, frowning as he flipped the page.

"I didn't know you knew how to read," Yuna said, pulling the book from him.

"Hey, don't be mean," Tidus said, laughing, "Gip and Rikku have been out all morning. I wonder what they've been up to…"

"Rikku rambled on about how Gippal and her were taking a trip to Kilika, and how she hoped we didn't mind," Yuna said, sitting down next to Tidus, "I told her I did mind."

"Yeah, I wanted to go to Kilika!" Tidus cried, "Gip told me they were getting up early to watch the sunrise!"

"He lied," Yuna said, sighing loudly.

"Whatever," Tidus said, giving her a cheeky smile, "That gives us some alone time."

Yuna looked at him and said, "You've been reading too much of this novel. What did you do, flip open to the juicy parts?"

"Possibly," Tidus said, still grinning.

"It's not a romance novel anyway," Yuna said, "It's teenage fiction."

"Why do you read that junk?"

"Eighteen-year-olds are still teenagers," came Yuna's reply, as she took the book and set it far from him.

"So, what are we doing today?" Tidus asked, his eyes bright and cheerful.

"I don't know," Yuna said, shrugging, "I usually just read…"

"And I usually toss blitzballs! I win!" Tidus cried, scooping up a blitzball that he had left on the floor, "Let's go!"

"Tidus," Yuna said, and he noticed that her face seemed rather white, "…I-I'm not coordinated at all. I'll make a fool out of myself trying to play that game."

"Don't worry about it," Tidus said, spinning the ball on his finger, "I promise I'll play nice."

"I can't even catch," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"Okay, I'll give you ten seconds to think of something more fun to do," Tidus said, still spinning the ball, "Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…"

"I know!" Yuna said then, smiling broadly.

"What?" Tidus asked, stopping both the spinning and his countdown.

"When Baralai and I were younger," Yuna began, only to get cut off by Tidus.

"Ugh, please don't say his name ever again," Tidus groaned.

"When Baralai and I were younger," Yuna repeated herself, ignoring his request, "We used to explore the forest. There are waterfalls and caves…It was really fun."

"…You want to explore?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows, "Aren't there bugs in the forest?"

Yuna laughed and said, "Don't be such a girl, Tidus!"

"I'm not," Tidus said, "I was worried about you."

Yuna laughed and said, "I'm the one that wants to, remember!"

"Right, right," Tidus said, "Alright, let's go."

"Great," Yuna said, smiling widely, "I think it'll be fun."

She led him into the warm sun of Besaid, and away from the beach.

"Yuna, look how inviting the water looks!" Tidus moaned, "Have you even gone swimming?"

"We'll go swimming tomorrow," Yuna answered, "Come on!"

She led the way toward the village, with Tidus following slowly, almost hesitantly. She turned to face him, and he couldn't help but smile as he noticed how her eyes were shimmering, obviously with excitement.

She laughed and quickly grabbed his hand, and led him forcefully down a very overgrown path.

"You sure we're supposed to go this way?" Tidus asked, as they started down the rarely travelled path.

"My father owns this land," Yuna said, giving Tidus a cheeky smile.

"Oh."

"He said someday, we'd build in here, because it's so pretty," Yuna said, "Sure, we wouldn't be able to see the beach, but that's alright. This is much more beautiful."

"So are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Building here," Tidus said.

Yuna's eyes instantly looked at the ground, and she said, "I doubt it. It won't be long before we sell that place like Baralai's selling his."

"Why's that?" Tidus asked, as Yuna led him deeper and deeper into the forest.

"My father doesn't have much time anymore," Yuna said, the words coming out slowly, almost as if it pained her, "He used to take the summers off, but now all he does is works."

"And that upsets you?" Tidus asked, looking surprised.

"Well yeah," Yuna said, "I forgot…You don't like your father."

Tidus laughed, which surprised her, and said, "Yuna, it's not that I don't like my father. It's that I _hate _him."

"I couldn't imagine hating my father," Yuna simply mumbled, but then she smiled widely and said, "We're almost to Baralai and my favorite spot!"

"Please don't say Baralai," Tidus said, looking downcast.

"Why not?" Yuna asked, "I chose you over him anyway, so what does it matter."

"Yeah, but was it really that hard of a choice?" Tidus asked, flashing her a dazzling smile.

Looking at that smile, Yuna would say that no, the choice wasn't hard at all, but she knew it had been at least somewhat difficult. She chose not to answer that question.

"Here it is!" she said, leading Tidus into a little opening.

"Wow," Tidus said, his eyes instantly widening. The trees seemed to make a little circular meadow, and on the north side of the meadow was a small waterfall, falling from the cliffs that enclosed them in.

"Baralai and I used to try to climb this cliff," Yuna said, laughing, "We weren't very smart."

Tidus laughed as well and said, "You two are kind of lacking when it comes to common sense."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Yuna cried, but she wore a smile anyway.

Tidus walked over to the waterfall and ran his hands through the water thoughtfully, before saying, "Did you ever succeed in climbing all the way up?"

"No," came Yuna's reply, and she noticed Tidus' eyes skimming the wall. "You're not going to try, are you?" her voice was becoming alarmed.

"It looks like it's fairly easy to climb," he said, "I wonder what it's like on top of the cliff?"

"Let's not find out," Yuna said, "I thought you were saying I had no common sense!"

Tidus just laughed, and began to test his weight on the little bits that stuck out of the cliff.

"Seriously Tidus, knock it off," Yuna said, "You could fall. I almost fell once!"

"It's not that high," Tidus said, "It's only about fifteen feet."

"That's a lot!" Yuna cried. Tidus ignored her though, and began to climb.

Yuna's eyes widened as she watched as he easily maneuvered his way up.

"It's easy," he called down to her, "Baralai and you were probably just too little."

Yuna swallowed, and remembered that the only reason she had ever attempted to climb the cliff in the first place was because Baralai had challenged her. It seemed to her as if Tidus was challenging her now. Taking a deep breath and biting her bottom lip nervously, Yuna followed Tidus' path, shocked at how easy it really was.

Soon enough, Tidus was over the edge, and Yuna was having no trouble climbing either. Tidus' head appeared over the edge, and he had a huge smile.

"Come on!" he said, grabbing Yuna's hand and pulling her the rest of the way, "You have to see this!"

As soon as she was standing on the cliff's edge, which turned out to basically plateau at the peak, her mouth grew agape. The view was unbelievable.

"Hey, I see your house!" Tidus cried, grabbing her arm and pointing toward her house, "Hey, and there's the blitz team practicing! Look at the little village! The water sure looks blue from here!"

Yuna couldn't speak. She couldn't believe how perfect the view was from that point. Baralai and her were truly missing out by being unable to climb the cliff. There was a little bit of long grass, but otherwise the ground was all dirt and rocks. A small pond was located on the west of the plateau, with a small stream heading down the cliff, monitored by a small beaver's nest.

"So this is where the waterfall comes from," Yuna said, finally able to find her breath.

"Yeah, weird, huh?" Tidus said, "Hey, do you think Gippal and Rikku are on that boat?"

Yuna didn't answer. She was too busy looking at the pond. The wind was much more prevalent at their height, but it felt good. The air was much less sticky, making the Besaid weather the most tolerable Yuna had ever felt it.

Yuna walked over closer to where Tidus was standing, and took a seat on the dirt, pulling her knees up to her and resting her head on them. "I could stay up here forever," she mused softly.

"Me too," Tidus said, taking a seat next to her. He leaned back against his hands and looked thoughtful. "So we leave in three days?" he questioned.

Yuna nodded slowly.

"Let's spend the rest of our time up here," Tidus said, smiling at her, "Away from Gippal and Rikku."

Yuna laughed and said, "What would we do up here?"

"This," Tidus said, leaning in to kiss her.

"Tidus, we can't just kiss!" Yuna cried, leaning away from him.

Tidus' eyes popped open, and he said, "Whoa, calm down Yuna. I figured you'd want to take it nice and slow."

Yuna laughed and said, "No, I meant we can't just spend the rest of our time kissing!"

"Well, we'd have to eat sometime," Tidus said, giving her a cheeky smile.

"I guess you're right," Yuna said, and with that, she allowed him to kiss her.

And so they sat, kissing in what they were both sure was the most picturesque spot in all of Besaid.


	18. OneWeek

Well, first of all, I'd like to announce that while I was sufferring writer's block for this, I completed my second novel! It needs **a lot** of editing though... And, I also finally managed to write chapter 20 & 21 of this story (and I'm really quite pleased with myself as to how those chapters turned out), but now I'm stuck again. Haha, I shouldn't be stuck for long though! Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 18: One-Week

Yuna sighed and pulled her clothes out of her suitcase, throwing them carelessly into the laundry hamper that sat beside her. She hummed a song softly to herself, aware that she wasn't even considering if the clothing item needed to be washed or not. She just simply threw them into the hamper, slowly, and completely taking her time.

She was interrupted by the ringing of her phone, which she quickly answered, a slight smile on her lips.

"Yunie!" Rikku cried, her voice sounding annoyed, "I just went to get all of my pictures printed out, and may I ask what's with the hundred of Tidus and you at some really high area?"

Yuna laughed loudly, and said, "You didn't realize we stole your camera?"

"No!" Rikku cried.

"Aren't they funny?" Yuna questioned, remembering her laughter just the day before as Tidus had pulled out Rikku's camera and started to take random pictures. The two had made funny face after funny face, finally ending on a kiss, which Tidus took a picture of, assuring Yuna that he was proficient at taking self-portraits like no one else he knew.

"Where were you two?" Rikku just asked, "Wait, is that the spot you two disappeared to every day?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, sitting down on her bed, "I guess it was mean of Tidus and I not to show you, but you guys went to Kilika without us!"

"Fair enough," Rikku said, sighing as she said it, "I'm coming over to drop these pictures off. You two are goofs. You especially look funny in the kissing picture."

Yuna stuck her lip out in a pout and she said, "Tidus says I'm a really bad kisser."

"He told you that?" Rikku cried.

Yuna laughed, and said, "Yeah, but he said we'd just have to practice."

"Gross," Rikku said, "You know, I don't tell you about Gippal and my kisses."

"You kiss him?" Yuna cried, pretending to be far more disgusted than she even was.

"Of course I kiss him," Rikku said, "Anyway, I'll be over give you these pictures."

"Okay," Yuna said, "I'm getting another call anyway." She hung up with Rikku then, and answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, look out your window."

Yuna glanced over her shoulder and out her window, to see Tidus standing there, waving at her.

"What are you doing?" Yuna asked, looking away from him.

"Waiting for you to get done unpacking. You take way too long."

"Sorry," Yuna said, "Are you done unpacking already?"

"Of course," Tidus said, "My suitcase is lying in the middle of the floor where I put it the second I got home."

Yuna laughed and said, "Then what have you been doing?"

"Standing here," Tidus said, "Forever."

Yuna glanced behind her at her clock, "Tidus, we've only been home for ten minutes."

"Okay then, standing here for ten minutes."

Yuna laughed and said, "Okay, I'm almost done."

"Good."

He hung up then, and Yuna did as well. She looked at the numerous items that she still had to put away, but she quickly realized that she wasn't really putting anything away as it was. Smiling, she grabbed handfuls of clothing and threw them into the laundry hamper. Then, she quickly rushed down the stairs, and out the door.

He was standing on the imaginary line that merged his yard into hers, with his arms crossed, smiling at her, almost as if he had just done something behind her back that she should be worried about.

She smiled, but her smile instantly faded. There was something tugging her stomach, and it had been for some time. It was something Baralai had said when she had last talked to him.

The conversation with Baralai had gone mostly as Yuna had described it to Tidus. Baralai was shocked that she had feelings for Tidus, but he was helpful enough, telling her that he had sworn that they were dating, and that he was sure Tidus liked her as well. Yuna smiled at the thought, realizing that at that moment, more than ever, Yuna had felt even more like Baralai's friend than she had when they were younger.

There was something though, that Baralai had said, just as she hugged him goodbye. His smile had faded, and he had said that he wished Yuna and Tidus luck, but to beware.

"Did you know he just used you for some party?" Baralai had asked, just as Yuna was about to leave.

Yuna smiled and answered that she had, but it had never clicked like that. She knew her feelings for Tidus had definitely expanded, and she was nearly positive that his had for her as well, but there was still a twinge of doubt inside of her head.

As he stood there, that mischievous look spread across his face, Yuna couldn't help but simply stand there and stare back at him. He was _perfect_. His hair was messy but flawless, his teeth were perfectly straight and white, his body perfect, his… Yuna stopped. Why was he interested in her?

"You look confused," Tidus said, "What?"

Yuna wiped whatever look she had on her face off, and said, "No, I'm not. What are you doing?"

Tidus shrugged and said, "Wanna go get ice cream?"

"Aren't you ice creamed out?" Yuna asked, shaking her head, "Why are you standing here anyway?"

"Oh, because!" Tidus said, and he grabbed her arm and pulled him on his side, "I was standing here when I first saw you."

"You were?" Yuna asked, giving him a confused look.

"You were right over there," Tidus said, pointing toward the bushes that led the way to her front door, "And I saw you from the back."

"Do you mind if I ask you why you were standing _right_ here?" Yuna just asked.

"Well, I wasn't standing," Tidus said, a cheeky smile spreading across his lips, "Remember, there were trees here. So I was on my stomach, under the trees, with binoculars."

"Okay Tidus, I've heard enough," Yuna said, "Let's go get that ice cream!"

"Whoa, wait just a sec!" Tidus said, "I wasn't looking for you. I was waiting for the mail woman."

"You're kidding, right?" Yuna asked, her eyebrows falling in disbelief.

"Of course not!" Tidus said, that cheeky smile growing wider, "Did you ever see her? She was hot!"

"Yevon, now I've really heard enough," Yuna said, "Come on."

"W-Wait!" Tidus said, smiling widely, "So anyway, I was on my stomach, waiting for her, when all of a sudden, you came running from the garage, and into the front door. Before that, I had only seen your old man, so I assumed he lived there alone. I was shocked to see a girl over at your house. So every day, when I made my rounds to watch for that hot mail lady, I also watched for you."

"Ice cream now!" Yuna said, trying to pull him. He had his hand wrapped around hers, and he was holding her close to him, his eyes bright.

"I had the trees removed," Tidus said, "So that I wouldn't have to lie under my stomach anymore."

"Great story," Yuna said, "Come on."

"But then, I finally saw your face," Tidus said, scrunching his face in disgust, "And I was so upset that I didn't even spy on the mail lady anymore."

"I know, I was ugly back then," Yuna said, "Thanks for reminding me."

"The other day," Tidus said, "Well, I guess it was a couple of months ago now… Anyway, I was at the liquor store with Gip, when I saw this lady. And I realized that it was the mail lady. It wasn't you I saw that day, Yuna. It was her. I had never seen her up close before, and when I did, I was so shocked that I convinced myself that it was you. You two looked similar from the back after all, both with brown hair."

"So what are you trying to tell me?" Yuna asked.

"I was disappointed," Tidus said, "Because the first time I saw you, I thought you were adorable. Soon, I wasn't waiting for the mail lady. I really did want to see you. But I was too stupid to just go and talk to you."

"So why are you telling me this?" Yuna asked.

"Because I feel bad for ignoring you for two years."

"Why?" Yuna asked, shrugging.

"Because," Tidus said, starting toward his house, pulling Yuna along, "We could have hooked up a lot sooner."

Yuna couldn't help but smile. In the strangest way, what Tidus had said was actually rather sweet.

Yuna decided not to be led so easily.

"That's assuming that I would go out with you," Yuna said, smirking at her comment.

She expected Tidus to say something cocky in return, or get angry, or something, but he simply looked thoughtful and shrugged, saying, "Yeah, I guess. But things sure would be easier back then."

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.

Tidus just shrugged and said, "So, what good ice cream parlors are around here? And I'm thinking it's convertible day, what do you think?"

He didn't wait for her reply. He climbed into his convertible, hopping over the door instead of opening the door.

"Come on!"

He smiled at Yuna, and Yuna simply smiled back, and climbed into the convertible, wondering if she was really in the mood for ice cream or not.

-

"Why are we dressed up?" Tidus asked, rolling his eyes.

"Now's not a good time to ask that," Yuna said, through clenched teeth.

Tidus' hand was shoved in his pocket, and he wore what looked like a suppressed look of annoyance. Yuna glanced at him through the corners of her eyes. Even though he was complaining, Yuna certainly wasn't. No one could admit that Tidus wore that tux well. If not amazingly.

Yuna herself though was wondering the same thing that Tidus had just questioned. She had on a blue evening gown that Rikku had picked out for her just the day before, when they had gone shopping. Rikku had told her that it would be a girl's night out shopping trip, so that Gippal and Tidus could watch the blitz game together, but it had turned out to be a trick formal-shopping trip.

It was Tidus and Yuna's one-week anniversary, and perhaps more importantly, Gippal and Rikku's three-week anniversary.

"She has him whipped," Tidus said under his breath.

"And us too," Yuna said.

"Let's ditch then," Tidus said, "I thought maybe you wanted to come to this."

"Fancy dinner with Rikku and Gippal? Not my idea of fun," Yuna said, "Actually, this whole keeping tabs on weeks thing…Definitely not my idea of fun."

"You get more perfect every day," Tidus said, taking her hand and leading her away from the entrance of the restaurant, "So what's our excuse?"

"We're not in the mood," Yuna said.

"Rikku's going to think I talked you out of it," Tidus said.

"I'll tell her then," Yuna said, pulling her phone out.

"Texting, right?" Tidus asked.

"No, calling."

"Text her," Tidus said, "She'll be upset, and then she'll try to talk you into coming. Not because she wants us here, but because she feels guilty."

Yuna stared at him, and she said, "What if you called Gippal then?"

"Text her," Tidus said, but before Yuna could move, Tidus took her phone and did it for her.

"There," he said, shutting her phone and handing it to her.

Yuna stood there, with her mouth agape, but she couldn't argue. Tidus knew her cousin well.

"How do you do that?" Yuna asked, as Tidus led her back toward his car.

"Do what?" Tidus asked.

"Read people like you do."

Tidus laughed and said, "I don't know. I think it's a gift."

"Well," Yuna said, crawling into his car, "Tell me about myself."

"You're too hard to read," Tidus said, "So where to?"

"Am I really?" Yuna asked.

"Yes, you really are," Tidus said, but Yuna knew his concentration was lost, "So where to?"

"Well, we could go eat someplace," Yuna said, and her phone suddenly began to beep, signaling a text message.

"That's from Rikku," Tidus said, "Let me guess…It says 'Are you sure you don't want to come Yunie? You got that cute dress and everything!'"

Yuna pulled her phone open and flipped it open, her mouth dropping.

"Are you sure you don't want to come Yunie? You got that cute dress and everything," Yuna read, giving Tidus an unbelieving look.

"She's easy," Tidus said, "Just add Yunie every now and then and talk about cute things. I'm surprised she didn't mention Gippal, actually. Text her this back: Yeah, Tidus and I are going to get something to eat at another place. A three-week anniversary is much more impressive than a one-week one, so we'll just give you two some alone time."

Yuna fumbled the words out onto her phone, and sent it.

"She won't feel guilty anymore," Tidus said, "All she's concerned about his her night with Gippal."

"So how about Gippal?" Yuna asked, "Is he easy to read?"

"He's a lot harder to read than Rikku," Tidus said, "I think that's why we've managed to stay friends. To be honest, it sucks when I can see right through a person. I usually know if I like them or not before I meet them."

"So do you like Rikku then?"

"As a friend?" Tidus asked.

"Well, I would hope as just a friend!" Yuna said, nudging him.

"Yeah, I do," Tidus admitted, "But I'd much rather have you then her, and I think Gippal would too."

Yuna blushed, although she didn't know why, and she said, "Gippal seems totally in love with Rikku!"

"Yeah, but she's controlling," Tidus said, "Anyway, where are we going?"

"Up to you," Yuna answered.

"Hey, wanna see the car I want?" Tidus asked, and he turned sharply to the right before Yuna could answer.

"There's a car you want?" Yuna asked, "Don't you already have three? And aren't colleges offering you cars?"

"Yeah, but this is the one I want to give to myself for my birthday."

He drove into a used-car lot, which was of course closed, and parked, and stepped out of his car. Yuna followed.

He led the way to an older car, which surprised Yuna.

"It's a 1950's muscle car," Tidus said, walking around to the front of it, "What do you think?"

"I didn't know you were in to older cars," Yuna said, looking at it.

"I wasn't," Tidus said, "But it's kind of…I don't know, romantic, isn't it?"

"I didn't know you were a romantic guy," Yuna said.

"Yuna, I'm the king of romance," Tidus said, patting the hood, "I wonder how many people have done it in the backseat of that car."

"Don't talk like that," Yuna said, crossing her arms. Her mouth was pressed together tightly.

"Sorry," Tidus said, giving her a confused look, "It's not like I want to do anything in the backseat, I was just thinking…"

Yuna didn't listen to him. She started back toward his car.

Tidus gave one last glance at the car, and then followed Yuna quickly, hopping back into the driver's spot. Yuna ignored him by turning to look out the side of the car, the opposite direction of where he was.

"I'm serious Yuna, I didn't mean anything by it," Tidus said, "I was just thinking out loud, and stupidly so."

"Whatever," Yuna just said, "Let's go."

They drove along in silence with no goal in mind. Tidus wanted to ask Yuna once again where she wanted to go, but she knew her answer would be that it was his choice, and actually, his stupid choice of words had ruined his appetite. He figured hers was ruined too.

Finally, Tidus bit his lip and said, "You look really nice in that dress."

Yuna didn't say anything for a while, and Tidus was wondering if she hadn't heard him, but his fear was loosened when she said, "But I bet you think I'd look better out of it."

"Yuna," Tidus said, looking at her hard, "That's not all I think of!"

"It is too!" Yuna cried, "You told me already that it was. So now that we're dating, it just magically isn't that way?"

"I-It's not like that," Tidus said, "I'm serious, Yuna."

"Our views on that matter are obviously different," Yuna said, finally facing him.

"Yes, they obviously are," Tidus said, "A-And I respect that."

"Good, then don't bring it up again," Yuna said.

"Yuna, I've never—," Tidus trailed. He wanted to tell her that he'd never ever thought about sleeping with her, but he knew that wasn't true. Once again, the shoulder consciences appeared, the angel telling him to shut his mouth and change the subject, while the devil coaxed him to lie and tell her that he was definitely a changed man, physically _and _mentally.

For once, he took the angel's advice. _"Ha, that's twice out of four times now!" _Tidus said gleefully to himself, _"That's got to be a good sixty percent!"_

"Hey Yuna," Tidus said, smiling broadly to her, his sudden change in mood shocking Yuna, "What's two out of four."

"A half," Yuna answered instantly, "Do you mind if I ask you why you want to know that?"

"Yes, I knew I was at sixty percent!" Tidus said happily.

"Um, two out of four is fifty percent," Yuna said, "A half is fifty percent."

"Damn," Tidus said, "I suck at math."

Yuna laughed. She laughed so loudly, that for a second, Tidus thought something was wrong.

"You okay?" he voiced his concern out loud.

"How did you pass basic high school math?" she questioned him.

"I—," Tidus trailed. He wanted to tell her that he'd slept with the math teacher's student teacher, but he dropped that thought instantly.

"Luck," he lied, realizing instantly that that bumped his times listening to the devil up to three out of five. He decided it was about time he stopped keeping track.

"So why were you asking?" Yuna asked.

"That's how often I do the right thing," Tidus said, deciding that made his total three out of six. He _had_ to stop keeping track.

"So you only do the right thing about half of the time," Yuna said slowly, "That's not really a lot."

"Is to," Tidus said, "Currently I'm at three out of six!"

Yuna narrowed her eyes at him. "What were the three that you did the wrong thing?"

"Well, I walked into your room in Besaid that one night, but I think that was actually for the better! I lied and told you it was luck that I passed math when really the only reason I passed was 'cause I was good at blitz," not all of the details, but it worked, "and I didn't tell you that I used you for…" Tidus stopped, and gave a nervous glance at Yuna. To his surprise, she finished his sentence for him.

"For my yard," Yuna said, sighing loudly, "Baralai told me. But I'd figured it out on my own."

"Look Yuna," Tidus said, "It started out that way, but I swear that by the time the party came around I was…Dude, I was in love with you then."

Yuna gave Tidus a very shocked look. They were both at the parking lot to a restaurant—one Yuna had never heard before, but one Tidus loved—and Yuna's mouth grew agape.

"You liked me _then_?" she questioned, her voice full of doubt.

"I was going to confess," Tidus said, his eyes on Yuna's, "but Dona came and ruined it."

Yuna blinked a few times. She remembered the night perfectly, and she did remember how Tidus was about to tell her something, when Dona had come and interrupted.

"And I never had interest in Rikku," Tidus continued, "Or that dumb cheerleader. It was always about you, Yuna. And to be honest, it was never my idea to have that party. It was Dona's, and my ego got the better of me, and I told myself I had to have it. But while I told myself that the party was my reason for hanging out with you, that was just to mask the fact that I was falling in…" Tidus stopped.

Yuna took a deep, silent breath, and she said, "But you don't believe in love."

"You know how I said I don't lie," Tidus said, his voice soft.

Yuna simply nodded, her mouth still agape.

"Well, I did then," Tidus said, looking sheepish. He swallowed and said, "I love you, Yuna."

Yuna continued to blink. He'd said those words to her so many times, but for the first time, they really sank in. She knew without a single ounce of doubt that he meant them. A small smile crept onto her lips, as she realized that he had indeed meant them all along. The shocks that went throughout her body every time he said it really were real. It was all real.

With that as her final thought, she leaned in to kiss him. Even though she'd kissed him before, and even though she now realized how real those kisses were, even the first one (which she and Tidus still argued about whether or not it counted), this kiss was the full proof of it. It was all real.


	19. Ice Cream Tension

Well, I'm still stuck on Chapter 22, but I'm off to a boring family get-together tomorrow, and my laptop will be coming with, so hopefully something will strike! At least I finally finished chapter 20 & 21. I'm so excited to post them both! ...Wow, and I just realized that chapter 20 will be Saturday's update...Heh... In the meantime, please enjoy!

Chapter 19: Ice Cream Tension

"Zanarkand's gotta get a goal soon," Tidus said through clenched teeth. He was seemingly calm, but Yuna wondered if it was just because her head was on his lap, making it hard for him to move.

She pulled her book away from her eyes to look up at him, and she giggled at the intensity that his eyes had as they watched the sphere. They were sitting in his living room, watching the game on his big-screen sphere, on the couch, where Tidus sat straight, and Yuna laid down it, resting her head on his right knee. She was reading, and he was watching blitzball. They had made it work out perfectly.

"What?" Tidus asked, noticing her giggle.

"Your eyes get all intense," Yuna said, still looking up at him.

He looked down at her and smiled and said, "Do they?"

Yuna smiled and was about to answer, when a sudden vibrating from Tidus caused her to jump up.

"Sorry," Tidus said, jumping up as well and reaching into his back pocket, "My phone has a crazy vibration." He pulled his other arm around Yuna, pulling her into him, and flipped open his phone, holding it so that Yuna could see it too. And, since she was nosy, Yuna did read it.

It was from Gippal, and all it said was, "You going blitzing?"

"Am I?" Tidus asked, looking at Yuna.

"Why ask me?" Yuna asked, shrugging.

Tidus texted back, "Rikku watching?"

Before Yuna could ask Tidus about his message back to Gippal, Tidus' phone vibrated again, and Tidus checked the message to see that Gippal had written, "Yes."

"Wanna watch me blitz?" Tidus asked, smiling at Yuna.

"Yes!" she said, "But what about the game?"

Tidus glanced at the sphere, and said, "Zanarkand always owns Kilika. No big deal."

"Are you sure?" Yuna asked, "I mean, are you sure you want to take me?"

"Rikku's gonna be there," Tidus said, smiling, "It's just open-blitz. So basically it's Gip, a few guys from my high school team, some college guys, and some older guys. It's nothing too intense."

"Alright," Yuna said, "Are we going right now?"

"Yup," Tidus answered. He stood up and grabbed his keys. "Ready?"

"Sure," Yuna said, hastily standing up and following him.

-

Tidus slung his bag over his shoulder, and kissed her on the cheek. "Rikku's over there," he said, "I'll see you later!"

Yuna smiled and watched him head down toward the sphere. Her eyes quickly scanned the place. There was a sphere pool in the middle, and while the sphere was large, the arena wasn't nearly as large as the one she'd last been at.

She saw Rikku sitting on the bleachers a ways away from her.

"Hey Rikku!" she greeted her cousin, taking a seat next to her.

"Hey Yunie!" Rikku said in response, "Tidus is here?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, "Have you watched Gippal before?"

"Yeah, once," Rikku said, smiling, "You've never seen Tidus play?" Yuna's heart fell. Had Rikku seen Tidus play when she hadn't?

"No."

"Me neither," Rikku said, and Yuna's fears fell, "I'm pretty excited to see him! He's apparently amazing."

Yuna smiled, and turned her eyes to the pool. There were a few guys in it, passing the ball, and she quickly spotted Gippal. It wasn't long before Tidus swam in, high-fiving guys as he swam past.

"Oh, hey, Tidus is here!" Yuna heard a girl say then, and she looked over, to see a blonde girl and a few other come walking toward them, "I haven't seen him here in forever!"

Yuna found herself slightly shocked by the blonde girl's apparel. She had on a very short mini skirt, a low-cut top, and then huge stiletto heels. The other girls had on similar outfits.

"So," the girl's voice was suddenly very close to Yuna, and Yuna noticed she was sliding next to Yuna, "Which player are you dating?"

"Uh…" Yuna started, wondering how that girl knew she was dating a player.

The girl laughed and said, "Sorry, I'm Leblanc. I guess dating probably isn't the right word anyway. Which player are you currently seeing."

"She's with Tidus," Rikku said then, "And I'm dating Gippal."

Leblanc's expression was hard to read. First she eyed Rikku hard, and then she turned her attention to Yuna, and began to laugh.

"Wait, _you _are with Tidus? What's a goody-good like you doing with him?"

Yuna opened her mouth to say something, as did Rikku, but Leblanc cut them off.

"And you must be with Gippal just because you're Al Bhed?"

"Well, no…" Rikku said, but she looked confused.

"Take it from me, honey," Leblanc said, smiling sweetly at Rikku, "Gippal likes to make you think he loves you, but he doesn't."

"And you know this from experience?" Yuna asked, her voice full of disgust.

"Of course!" Leblanc said, her eyes on Yuna, "You don't know who I am, do you? I'm Dona, Tidus' ex-girlfriend's best friend."

"Oh," Yuna said, mouthing the word slowly.

"So you're the girl he dumped her for," Leblanc said, her eyes running themselves over Yuna, "I guess you're pretty enough. What school do you cheer for?"

"I'm not a cheerleader," Yuna said, shaking her head.

"What? Okay…" Leblanc said, "How the hell did you hook up with Tidus then?"

"They're neighbors," Rikku said quickly, "But enough about them. Are you Gippal's ex-girlfriend?"

"You could say that," Leblanc said with a shrug, "But I was never interested in him." Yuna noticed Leblanc's eyes were on Tidus.

"Wait, why not?" Rikku asked then, her voice somewhat whiny.

"Why have Gippal when you can have the real prize?" Leblanc just asked.

Yuna shook her head. "You would chase your best friend's boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend," Leblanc said, giving her a challenging smile, "And I see my competition isn't too much."

"Tidus and Yunie are in love," Rikku said quickly, standing up for her cousin, "And Tidus isn't about to dump her for some slut like you!"

To this, Leblance laughed. "Oh, we'll see about that, honey." Leblanc gave Yuna one last glance, and then she stood up, and walked away, her posse following her.

Yuna glared after her, as did Rikku.

"I'm going to have to talk to Gippal about this," Rikku finally said, angrily.

"And I'm going to have to talk to Tidus," Yuna said, although her voice wasn't nearly as angry.

"At least it doesn't seem like she's ever been with Tidus!" Rikku cried.

"Yeah, but…"

A whistle blew then, and Yuna noticed that the game was going to start.

"Gippal and Tidus are on the same team," Rikku said, pointing to the shirtless team.

Yuna's eyes rolled. It figured Tidus would be on the shirtless team. Any chance to show off his abs and he was happy to do so.

"Tidus doesn't play center?" Yuna asked then, startled to see Gippal in the center instead, and Tidus off to the side.

"You didn't know that?" Rikku asked, startled as well.

Yuna shook her head, "I always…assumed he played center."

The faceoff started then, and Gippal grabbed the ball, and threw a long pass to Tidus.

"Did you see how fast he swims?" Rikku cried, her eyes wide as Tidus was already close to the opposite goal.

Tidus threw the ball backwards, and Gippal caught it again. Then, Gippal threw the ball hard at the goal, only to have it rebound. Tidus swam up fast, and kicked the ball by flipping backwards in the water, sending it straight into the goal.

"Wow, did you see that?" Rikku asked, "No wonder he has colleges after him!"

"Well, it was a nice set-up by Gippal," Yuna put in quickly. Rikku beamed at her words.

The entire game went like that. Yuna had a feeling that Tidus was holding back even. Yuna was sure he could take them all on, and still win. She'd never seen anything like it.

"After this," Rikku said then, "We should go get something to eat together or something!"

"Okay," Yuna said, nodding.

Soon enough, an hour went by, with the final score being Tidus' team with five points—all but one scored by Tidus—to three.

The guys all high-fived again, and then swam out of the pool.

"Come on, they'll meet us over here," Rikku said, standing up and leading Yuna toward the door.

"How long does it usually take them to get ready?" Yuna asked, after about ten minutes passed.

Rikku didn't have to answer, for Gippal and Tidus emerged then, both in a heated discussion about something or other.

"Dude, if we miss that party," Gippal was saying, "you know Bickson's gonna never let you forget it."

"Yeah but…" Tidus said, only to stop as they both noticed that the girls were standing there waiting for them, "We'll talk about it later."

Both Yuna and Rikku cast them suspicious glances, and Rikku said, "What are you two talking about."

"Just some stupid party," Gippal said, slipping his arm around Rikku, "Did you like the game?"

"It was great!" Rikku said, any hint of suspicion disappearing nearly instantly.

Yuna didn't forget so easily, and Tidus knew that. He wore almost a frown, and was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Gip, it's in _Luca_," Tidus finally said, his voice smooth, calm almost.

"Ti, shut up about it," Gippal said, his teeth clamped shut.

"Shut up about what? What's in Luca?" Yuna asked, narrowing her eyes at Tidus.

"Don't worry about it," Tidus said, "So, you guys want ice cream or something?"

"How often to do you eat that stuff?" Rikku cried, "Didn't we run into you two at the ice cream parlor just yesterday?"

"Gotta love that chocolate cake stuff," Tidus just said, "Come on."

Rikku shrugged and followed, and Gippal as well. Yuna sighed and followed as well.

As soon as she was in Tidus' car, she turned to him. He must have known what was coming, for he wasn't uttering a word.

"What's going on in Luca?"

"It's nothing," Tidus said, staring straight ahead.

"A party?" Yuna asked, "Are you two going?"

Tidus tapped his steering wheel, before saying, "I don't know."

"Well, I don't care if you go," Yuna said, looking out the window, "Why are you so uncertain."

"You don't care?" Tidus asked, "I'm trying to be on my best behavior, you know."

"Yeah, but if you want to go to this party, I can't really stop you," Yuna said, shrugging.

"You really don't care?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

"No."

"Do you really trust me that much?" His question shocked Yuna.

"What?" she said, "Should I not trust you?"

"W-Well no, but…" Tidus pulled up to the ice cream parlor, "I wouldn't…trust me so easily."

"Who's Leblanc?" Yuna asked then, leaning back in her seat.

"Oh, you know her?" Tidus asked, "She's the one that told us about the party."

"That figures," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "Who's she to you?"

"Some slut Gip slept with," Tidus said, "I swear Yuna, I've never slept with her. She may be the only cheerleader I didn't sleep with but…Oh, I guess you didn't need to know that…"

"She has a thing for you," Yuna said, choosing to ignore Tidus' last comment.

"Yuna," Tidus said, throwing her a smile, "Who doesn't have a thing for me?"

"Tidus, this isn't the time to be cocky," Yuna said, her eyes downcast.

"I'm not being cocky! I'm being honest."

"I know," Yuna said, leaning her head in her hands, "But I don't need your honesty right now."

"So you want me to lie?"

"I want you to deny it," Yuna said, staring at him.

"Deny it? Yuna, I swear I have no interest in Leblanc. None whatsoever. Even if you weren't around, I wouldn't. Okay? The only reason Gip ever slept with her was because he was wasted beyond belief."

"Is that what's going to happen at this Luca party? You two are going to get wasted beyond belief and wake up naked next to somebody?"

"Yuna," Tidus said, "That's never happened to me."

There was a knocking on the window then, and Rikku was standing there, looking confused.

"Why are you two sitting in there? What are you in such intense discussion about anywhere?" Rikku's voice said, her voice muffled.

Tidus looked annoyed, and he said, "Tell her we'll be right in."

"We'll be right there," Yuna said, also through the window. Rikku shrugged and walked off. Yuna noticed that Gippal was standing in front of Tidus' car, shaking his head.

Tidus waited until they were inside, before turning to Yuna. "What does Leblanc have to do with the party?"

"Well, she's going to be there, isn't she?"

"I didn't say I was going to the party," Tidus said, leaning back to show his annoyance.

"I know," Yuna said, "Come on, let's go."

Tidus grabbed Yuna's arm before she could get out of the car, surprising her.

"Yuna," Tidus said, "I'm not going to do anything…anything I'll regret at that party. Alright? Don't worry about it."

"Then why were Gippal and you all hush-hush about it?" Yuna demanded.

"I can't…" Tidus trailed, "Come on, they'll probably get sold out of the cake part of the chocolate cake ice cream…"

"Why can't you just tell me?" Yuna asked.

"Yuna, it has nothing to do with you," Tidus said, swallowing hard, "Just don't worry about it."

He opened the door then, signaling that the conversation was over.

"Tidus," Yuna cried, quickly starting after him, but she knew the conversation was over.

"Yuna," Tidus said, standing in front of the parlor's entrance, "Don't bring it up in here, okay?"

"Fine," Yuna said, "But as soon as we're back in your car, I'm—."

"I'll send you home with Rikku and Gippal," Tidus simply said, and he opened the door for her, "After you."

Yuna gave him a glare, but entered.

"About time you two came in here," Rikku said as soon as they entered. Gippal and Rikku were sitting by the door, already enjoying their ice cream.

"What were you talking about?" Gippal asked, and Yuna noticed that he shot Tidus a suspicious glance, as if to silently ask him how much he'd told Yuna.

"Nothing," it was Yuna who answered, and she sent Tidus her own silent message, telling him to get in line for the ice cream. Tidus simply shrugged at Gippal and went into line.

Yuna followed him, her arms crossed.

"What kind do you want?" Tidus asked her, his voice flat.

"Vanilla," Yuna answered.

"Anything on top of it?" Tidus asked, casting her a shocked look, "There's thirty choices, and you just want plain ol' vanilla?"

"Yes," Yuna answered, her voice as flat as hers.

"Fine, it's cheaper," Tidus said, ordering his chocolate cake ice cream with a million toppings.

"I'll pay for my own," Yuna simply said, and she marched over to the cash register.

"Knock it off, Yuna," Tidus said, following her, "I'll pay."

"It's alright," Yuna said, blinking a few times as if she was unsure of why he'd offer to pay to begin with.

"Come on Yuna, you're an old-fashioned kind of girl. You want me to pay."

"No, I don't," Yuna said, she then paid for her ice cream right then and there, and took it, and started towards the table Rikku and Gippal were at.

"Yuna, stop acting like this!" Tidus cried after her, and quickly paid for his own ice cream, and starting also to the table.

Tidus and Yuna ate their ice cream in silence, while Rikku talked about a play that Gippal and she had seen the night before. Yuna got the feeling that Gippal knew there was some tension between her and Tidus, for he kept glancing up at them every now and then.

"I have to pee," Gippal finally announced, interrupting Rikku's long story.

"Gippal, don't be so crude," Rikku said, casting her boyfriend and annoyed look.

"Tidus, do you have to pee?" Gippal asked, ignoring his girlfriend's comment. Yuna leaned back in her chair. She knew what Gippal was up to.

Tidus didn't, though. "Dude, don't be such a girl," Tidus said, looking at his friend with a confused look, "Go pee by yourself. What do you want me to do, hold your hand."

"I just thought after all that ice cream," Gippal said, staring hard at Tidus, "you'd have to pee."

"Go with him," Yuna said, drumming her fingers angrily on the table.

"Fine, I will," Tidus said, standing up. Gippal gave Yuna a suspicious glare, but Tidus and he started toward the bathroom.

"What's up?" Rikku asked.

"Oh, nothing," Yuna lied, and quickly turned back to her ice cream. Rikku shrugged, and continued eating hers.

-

"What?" Tidus asked as soon as they were in the bathroom.

"What the hell did you tell her?" Gippal asked.

"She's pissed 'cause I won't tell her," Tidus said.

"Well you're not going to, are you?" Gippal asked.

"Of course not," Tidus said, "I mean, I can't. She'll be totally against it."

"Good," Gippal said, "'Cause you know she'll tell Rikku, and I can't have that."

"I know, I know," Tidus said, "But she's being a total bitch about the whole deal."

"You guys will never make it to two weeks," Gippal said, shaking his head.

Tidus glared at his friend and said, "Dude, I'd rather have Yuna than go to this stupid party, you know that?"

"I know, I know," Gippal said, "Sorry man. Just don't tell her unless you're really desperate."

"I'll try not to tell her," Tidus said, sighing, "But are we really going to go through with it?"

"We have to, man. Especially if you ever want to be able to show your face in whatever university you end up going to."

"Yeah, but we could get hurt," Tidus said.

"Yeah, but we have to take the chance," Gippal said, "Come on, they'll get suspicious if we're in here too long."

"Yuna's already suspicious," Tidus reminded his friend.

"Well, Rikku's not, and I want to keep it that way," Gippal said, "Sorry if you let your girlfriend catch on."

"Sorry that your girlfriend is a dumb blonde," Tidus sneered.

Gippal pushed him a little, but mostly ignored Tidus' comment. As soon as the two returned the table, the girls were done, and chatting excitedly about Rikku's class schedule for the next year.

"Alright Rikku, ready to go?" Gippal asked, casting her a charming smile. She nodded, and said goodbye to Yuna, and the two left.

Yuna turned to Tidus and nodded sweetly, and said, "So what did Gippal and you discuss?"

"Yuna, guys don't talk while they pee," Tidus said, returning her sweet smile.

"Oh? So Gippal really did just want a pee-buddy?" Yuna asked, her smile remaining.

"Yes, he did," Tidus said, "I held his hand while he peed."

"You are such a liar," Yuna cried, "Let's go."

"I really did!" Tidus said in an almost sing-song voice. He grabbed his now-empty Styrofoam bowl and crushed it in his fist, before tossing it into the garbage. He didn't offer to throw Yuna's away.

"Tidus, look," Yuna said, sighing loudly, "I'm sorry, okay? It just bothers me that you can't tell me about this party."

"I swear Yuna, it doesn't have anything to do with you," Tidus said, "I probably won't drink. And I swear to Yevon, I'm not going to cheat on you or anything. There's just some unfinished business that Gippal and I have to take care of."

"When is this party?" Yuna asked, standing up and throwing her bowl away as well.

"Next week," Tidus answered, "Gip and I'll be gone for just a night. That's all."

Yuna shrugged and said, "And you won't end up with Leblanc or anything?"

To this, Tidus laughed.

"Yevon, is this about Leblanc?" Tidus asked, "Yuna, I won't even probably see her! Seriously, this is…man stuff. It has nothing to do with women."

Yuna gave him a small smile, but it was very fleeting. "I'm sorry to act like this Tidus. It's just…Leblanc seems so much more your type and…"

Tidus laughed. "Yuna," he said, shaking his head, and taking her hands in his, "You're the only girl I'm interested in, okay? I swear, Leblanc is the very last thing on my mind. Don't listen to a word she says."

With that, he leaned in and kissed her, causing the manager behind the counter to yell at them to go kiss somewhere else.

"Sorry!" Tidus said, shooting a charming smile in the manager's direction, causing all of the girls in the entire building to let out silent sighs of wonder.

Still holding her hand, Tidus led her back out to his car, and kissed her again in front of the door, despite the fact that she was blushing deeply. Then he waved back into the store at the glaring manager, and hopped into his car, driving toward their houses.


	20. Final Drops

Okay, here is chapter 20! We can all thank Ayumi Hamasaki's new song "fated" for this chapter, because it wasn't until 1 o'clock am on some random day, after listening to that song on repeat for an hour or so that I was finally able to finish this chapter. Also, just because it's fun, I actually wrote the beginning of this chapter, then the beginning of chapter 21, and then finally the ending to chapter 20, so yeah, it was a little out of order...

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 20: Final Drops

_"So the next time your child throws a fit, you simply be assertive and tell the child that what they are doing is wrong."_

_"But what tone of voice should I use?"_

_"Well…an assertive tone. Show the child that you mean business."_

_"And then what?"_

"Hey, I was watching that!"

Yuna shot him an annoyed look, and put the remote down by her, "You've been watching that show for three hours now!"

"Yeah, your point?"

"Well, it's unlike you to sit here and watch some child-care show."

"Is it?" Tidus asked, looked at her, and it was his turn to look annoyed. Yuna realized that he looked thoughtful, almost upset about something.

"Isn't there a game on?" Yuna offered.

"No."

"So you want to go—"

"No."

"Okay then," Yuna said, looking away from him.

"I don't want to talk," Tidus said, "It makes me feel guilty."

"There's no reason to feel guilty," Yuna said, a sly smile making its way across her lips.

"Stop that," Tidus said, shooting her a glare, "I know you want to know what's going on in three days."

"I know exactly what's going on in three days," Yuna said, smiling widely, "Rikku and I are going to see that new movie, and go shopping."

"You know what Gippal told Rikku?" Tidus asked, "He told Rikku that he won tickets to the Bevelle vs. Luca game."

"Well, at least I know where you're really going," Yuna said, wondering what his deal was.

"Yeah, but you don't know why. Doesn't that upset you?"

"You're the one who told me I shouldn't worry!" Yuna cried.

"I know, but I've been doing some thinking, and… Well, you're my first real girlfriend, and should I mess this whole relationship up over _this_?"

"Tidus, it's alright. I've decided that I don't want to know," Yuna said.

"No, don't be stupid Yuna. It's just that if I tell you, you can't tell Rikku. Gippal would kill me. And, you can't try to stop me. I'm going, and that's all there is to it."

"Tidus, it's alright. As long as it has nothing to do with me, or cheating on me, or anything like that, then you're right, it's none of my business."

"Yuna, be a normal girlfriend, okay? A normal girlfriend makes their boyfriend's business their business."

"Fine, Tidus, what are Gippal and you doing at that party?"

"Yuna, you know I can't tell you!"

"Tidus, you can't tell me that you're going to tell me and then not tell me!"

"I didn't tell you that I was going to tell you!"

"You led me to believe that you were going to tell me!"

"I couldn't have led you to believe that I was going to tell you, because I can't tell you," Tidus said, smiling and shaking his head.

"Well, I'm a normal girlfriend and your business is now my business," Yuna said, smiling.

"I can't tell you!" Tidus said, "You'll try to hold me back."

"Why would I try to hold you back."

"Because it's dangerous."

Yuna's smile faded, but Tidus was still smiling brightly.

"It's dangerous?" she said, slowly.

"Not too dangerous, but it could be. It depends on how many lackeys Bickson has."

"Bickson? Who's Bickson?"

"My blitz rival."

"In Luca…" Yuna mused softly, "What are you doing, fighting him?"

"How'd you know?"

"Tidus! You're going to a party to fight with him!"

"Kind of."

"What if you get hurt?"

"See, told you you'd try to stop me!" Tidus said, "And we know Rikku would try to stop Gippal."

"Tidus, you're being ridiculous," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"No Yuna, I'm being a man," Tidus said, "Now, try not to miss me too much in three days, I'll only be gone for a night…And we sleep alone anyway so…"

"So I won't miss you too much," Yuna said, pecking him on the cheek, "I have to go to the library. I'll see you later!"

"That's it? You're not going to try to stop me?" Tidus asked, looking shocked.

"I think it's foolish, and I want you to be careful," Yuna said, "But I can't worry about it right now. I have to go. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yuna!" Tidus cried after her, "It's going to be an old-fashioned fist fight!"

"Yes, which is immature and stupid," Yuna just said, starting toward the door, "Especially if you're going all the way to Luca just to punch some guy. What'd he do to you anyway?"

"Yuna, three words: blitz rivals."

Yuna opened her mouth to correct him, but she shut it. "Yes, but—"

"That's all there is to it," Tidus said, and he turned the sphere on again, back to the parenting show, "See you later, Yuna."

"I don't understand you," Yuna said, her voice very soft, "Why did you bring this up, only to make me even angrier at you then I was?"

"I don't know," Tidus said, "I told you the truth. Isn't that good enough?"

"What if I don't like the truth?" Yuna asked, sitting back down next to him—not too closely, of course.

"It's just a stupid fight," Tidus said, "It's something we have to do.

"No, it's something that you've somehow convinced yourself that you have to do," Yuna said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe," Tidus said softly, agreeing with her, "But we're going to do it."

"Alright," Yuna said, sighing softly in defeat, "I have to go to the library." She was hesitant, but she asked the next question anyway. "Do you want to come along?"

She wasn't at all surprised when he gave her an emotionless "no".

"Alright, see you later," Yuna said, her voice low.

"Yeah," Tidus said, his tone still lacking any emotion.

Yuna sighed, and walked outside, and back to her own yard, where she was starting to feel that she should stay in.

-

"Tidus has been acting kind of strange," Yuna mused softly.

"Yeah, Gippal too. What's up?" Rikku asked, her eyes soft.

"It has to do with…you know, two days from now," Yuna said, softly, for she wasn't sure if Rikku was in the know about the trip.

"Oh, Gippal and Tidus' Luca trip?"

"You know about it?" Yuna cried, her eyes brightening.

"Yeah, Gip won blitzball tickets."

"Oh," Yuna said, softly. So her cousin really didn't know.

"I think Gippal's just upset to have to be away from me for the night."

Yuna rolled her eyes. Of course her cousin would think that.

"Well, Tidus has been acting very weird," Yuna said, "One minute, we're all happy and lovey-dovey, and the next, we're mad at each other. I don't really get it."

"Tidus is a moody guy," Rikku said, nodding surely.

"I guess that' s true," Yuna said, sighing loudly, "I don't want to keep getting mad at him over the simplest things though. I hate to say it, but I think we got along better when I hated him."

Rikku laughed. "Don't be silly, Yunie!"

"It's just that we're so different," Yuna said, "We tried to make it work, we really did. And I really like him, and I think he really likes me, but we're just…"

"You two haven't even been together for two weeks, have you?" Rikku asked, "It's just a little bump, that's all."

"I guess maybe," Yuna said.

"Gippal's going to be here in five minutes," Rikku said, standing up. The two were sitting in Rikku's kitchen, where they had been for only the last thirty minutes.

"Right, I should get going anyway," Yuna said, "Maybe I'll go talk to Tidus."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Rikku said, smiling pleasantly at her cousin, "I'll see you for our girls' night out!"

Yuna smiled and said, "Alright."

"We'll go shopping and have a great time," Rikku said, and Yuna wondered if she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Yuna.

"Right," Yuna said, nodding, "I can't wait." That was the truth. She couldn't wait until that Lucan party was over. She told herself that Tidus would be back to his normal self, as soon as that party was over.

Rikku smiled at her, and said good bye, and Yuna left, wondering if she really was going to talk to Tidus.

-

"I feel lame," Tidus said, sighing loudly, "All I do is sit around all day."

"Well, it doesn't have to be that way," Yuna said, throwing him a warm smile, "We can—"

"What, read?" Tidus asked, rolling his eyes.

"I wasn't going to say that," Yuna said, glaring at him.

"Go to the library?" Tidus tried again.

"It's not that lame to go to the library!"

"Walk dogs?" Tidus simply continued.

"You said you liked to do that!"

"Organize bake sales?"

"Tidus, I came to talk to you and try to make up, but you're being impossible!" Yuna finally cried, "Let's go swimming or something."

Tidus' eyes looked out the window, and he sighed, saying, "It's raining, remember?"

Yuna sighed as well. The summer had been completely dry, with only a few days of rain here and there. But at that moment, the rain was pouring down on the dry ground.

"Well, rain will make you feel lame," Yuna said, as she took a seat next to Tidus, "Let's just talk, okay?"

"Talk? About what? I'm going to that party no matter what."

"Not about the party," Yuna said, shooting him a glare, "About other stuff. Like…us."

"Us?" Tidus said, "What about us?"  
"Like, why do we just argue all of the time these days?" Yuna asked, her voice soft.

"I don't know," Tidus said, "You tell me."

Yuna shot him another glare, and she said, "Is it because we're so different?"

"Different? We're not different!" Tidus laughed.

"We are too!" Yuna said, but she realized instantly that Tidus' laugh was very forced. Of course he knew they were too.

"So what do we do?" Tidus asked, "We have to just live with each other's differences."

A smile lit Yuna's face. For once he was making sense.

"Exactly," Yuna said, a sigh of relief leaving her mouth, "And that's why we—"

"Should have sex?" Tidus asked.

"No!" Yuna cried, pushing him, "That's why we should—"

"Get wasted and have sex?"

"Knock it off Tidus!" Yuna cried, her voice angry.

"Why do you get so angry?" Tidus cried, his voice now angry, "I'm just joking!"

"It's not something to joke about!" Yuna cried, "Because you know you make me feel pressured!"

Tidus' features instantly softened.

"Really? You don't think I'm joking?"

"Well, I know you're joking," Yuna said, her voice very soft, "But it still makes me feel like I should."

Tidus laughed. "You feel like you _should_?"

"Well, that's what you're used to, isn't it?" Yuna asked, shocked by his question.

"Well yeah, but I don't expect it," Tidus said, "Yuna, I wouldn't want to make you rush into something like that!"

"You don't?"

"No!"

"So if I said 'alright, let's do it?', what would you do?" Yuna asked.

"I'd ask you if you were sure," Tidus said, "And then when you'd say 'yes', I'd tell you that you were just horny and that if you still felt like that in a week, then I'd think about doing it."

"Really?" Yuna asked, "You wouldn't take me right then and there?"

"Of course not!" Tidus cried, "You're the kind of girl that would wait until the honeymoon, and I respect that. Yes, it frustrates the hell out of me, but I still have to respect that."

Yuna smiled and said, "Really?"

"Of course," Tidus said, his eyes seeming to smile at her as well.

"And you're really okay with that?"

Tidus nodded, and said, "Yeah, I really am."

Yuna couldn't help but feel relief go throughout her body. She smiled widely, and threw her arms around his stomach, pulling him into an embrace.

He seemed shocked, but he wrapped his arms gingerly around her as well, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"You have no idea how relieved that makes me feel," Yuna said.

Tidus laughed and said, "You know, I don't think I've ever talked about sex with a girl before…"

Yuna giggled and kissed him on the chin.

"And I've never talked about sex period," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, we're different alright," Tidus said, laughing.

Yuna smiled into his shoulder, never wanting to leave his arms.

Finally, Yuna tore herself away, saying, "I have to go. I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll probably be just getting up when you get home," Tidus said, smiling a cheeky smile.

Yuna pecked him on the lips and said, "Actually, I have to go run some errands."

Tidus pouted, and he said, "Will I see you again before I go to Luca?"

"I don't know," Yuna said, sighing, "Well, if you don't, just be careful, okay? Be very careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Tidus laughed and kissed her.

"You could just sleep here," Tidus said, smiling his characteristic cheeky smile, "We'll keep our clothes on of course."

"Sorry," Yuna answered, "But I don't want the temptation to be there."

"I won't be that tempted!" Tidus said, pouting again.

Yuna laughed, and leaned forward, whispering, "You may not be, but I would." Before Tidus could respond, she jumped up, and said, "I'll see you later!"

"That's called teasing!" Tidus called after her, "And it's not very nice!"

"I know," Yuna said, poking her head back into the room, for she had left it, "Good night, Tidus!"

"Do you have an umbrella?" Tidus called then, jumping up and rushing to the door where she stood.

"No," she said, "Do you?"

"Of course!" Tidus said, and he pulled one out of the nearby coat closet—that Yuna noticed was stuffed full of mostly blitzball trophies. "I'll walk you home, like a normal couple." Tidus grinned, and opened the door, and opened the umbrella.

Yuna laughed and followed him out into the rainy night.

"It's supposed to rain for the next couple of nights, isn't it?" Tidus asked, as the two started toward Yuna's house.

"I believe so," Yuna responded, taking his hand in hers.

Tidus walked Yuna right up to her front doorstep, and laughed, saying, "Only, if this was a normal relationship, your old man would be in there watching us from the window."

"Well, say he was," Yuna said, "What would you do?"

"This," Tidus said, and he looked up at one of the windows, as if Yuna's father was there, winked, and then kissed Yuna.

The kiss didn't last long though, for Yuna laughed, and pulled away. "My father would have a heart attack!" she cried.

"Good thing he's not here then," Tidus said, kissing Yuna once again. Tidus dropped the umbrella to the side then, for they were in the shade of Yuna's front porch, and he said, "Do you think it's romantic to kiss in the rain?"

Yuna laughed and said, "I've never thought about it before."

"Good, I don't think so," Tidus just said, but he kissed her again, pressing her into her closed front door.

Yuna laughed, and cried, "Then why are you kissing me?"

"Because I love you," Tidus said, his words causing Yuna's laughter to instantly fade. He kissed her again, and she welcomed it much more than she'd welcomed his previous kisses. A car drove down the normally vacant road and honked, but Tidus and Yuna barely noticed.

Finally, Tidus pulled away from her, and said, "I gotta go. Zanarkand's playing in ten minutes."

Yuna laughed and said, "Alright. If I don't see you soon…"

"I'll be careful," Tidus simply said, pecking her quickly on the lips, "Besides, I wouldn't want anything to happen to me. Especially since I would hate to not be able to kiss those lips."

"And if you come back with a single scratch," Yuna said, smiling slyly, "You won't be kissing these lips."

"There's other places I can kiss though," Tidus said, and he leaned in to kiss her again. Yuna pushed him away though, her smile still on her face.

"Good night," she simply said, "Come over as soon as you get back from the party."

"What if it's late?"

"I don't care," Yuna said, "And be careful!"

"Yes, yes," Tidus said, "Good night."

Yuna smiled, and turned to go into her house, for she knew that he would simply kiss her again. She waved at him from the door, and then shut it. She watched him from the window as he picked up the umbrella, closed it, and ran back toward his house. Yuna watched him, her smile wide on her lips.

-

"It's always nice to have a girl's night out," Rikku said, smiling at Yuna.

"It is, isn't it?" Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "We should try to have them more often."

"Yeah, I know," Rikku said, "I'm sorry I've been so wrapped up in Gippal lately."

Yuna smiled at her cousin and said, "I guess it's understandable. I've been kind of wrapped up in Tidus lately."

"Yuck, I hope you don't mean literally!" Rikku said, sticking her tongue out at Yuna.

Yuna gave her cousin a light shove, and said, "Of course I don't mean it—"

Rikku's ringtone interrupted Yuna.

"Luca Hospital?" Rikku said, looking at her caller I.D., "I hope Brother isn't in trouble again." She rolled her eyes and answered it. "Hello?"

Yuna watched as her cousin's face dropped, and the phone soon dropped out of her hand as well.

Tears welled up in Rikku's green eyes, and she cupped her mouth with her hand.

"What?" Yuna asked, and she bent down to pick up the phone, "Hello?"

"He's unconscious right now, but we expect he should regain consciousness. He has some head trauma but he's—"

"I'm sorry," Yuna said, her heart beginning to speed, "I'm Rikku's cousin, Yuna. Please tell me what's going on."

"Oh. We were told to call this number. A friend of your cousin's—Gippal—is here with us tonight. He was in a head-on collision just outside of Luca tonight, and he is currently unconscious with some serious head trauma. He should be alright, but it would be wonderful if you could get here as soon as possible. The last thing he said before losing consciousness was that he wanted to see Rikku."

Yuna's mouth slowly dropped. She glanced at her cousin. Wasn't Rikku overreacting?

Yuna's eyes slowly widened though, and she cried, "Wait, did Gippal have a passenger with him?"

"Oh…he might have," the nurse on the phone suddenly said, "All other people involved in the accident have passed away, I'm afraid."

It was Yuna's turn to drop the phone. Her vision became blurry as tears welled up in her eyes, and she fell to her knees.

Yuna felt as if the world was going in and out. Things were beginning to blur together, bit-by-bit. Rikku looked down at her cousin through her own tears.

"Rikku…" Yuna said, her voice barely audible, "Tidus is…"

"I know!" Rikku cried, and she fell to her knees as well, her shopping bags scattering around her. She wrapped her arms around her cousin, and said, "I'm so sorry Yunie!"

Yuna didn't answer. She simply shut her eyes for a good ten seconds, before saying, "We have to get to the hospital."

"Are you sure Yunie?" Rikku cried.

Yuna nodded. "Come on," she said, standing up, "Let's go."

"But Yunie…" Rikku said, her voice full of sadness.

"We have to go!" Yuna said, her voice suddenly loud, and very high-pitched, "We have to do what we can for Gippal!"

Rikku's face twisted painfully, and she nodded. With that, still sobbing, the girls made their way to Yuna's car, and were soon on their way to Luca, riding completely in silence, which was only broken occasionally by uneven sobs. Sobs that belonged mostly to Yuna.

It was worse than she could have ever imagined. Tidus was dead.


	21. Traces of Tears

Well everybody, I've decided to update a good 12 hours early! Thank you all for the reviews! The last chapter got the second most reviews since the chapter where Tidus and Yuna hooked up! Anyway though, I'm updating as a present for you, and also because my schedule is going to be messed up if I didn't. I'm going to be away on Thursday and Friday, which means I wouldn't be able to update on Friday morning, but I can on Thursday morning. So chapter 22 will be up on Tuesday morning, and chapter 23 on Thursday, just to give you guys an idea... Anyway, we can all thank Ayumi Hamasaki's "fated" once again for this chapter, since I actually wrote it before I wrote chapter 20! Haha. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Traces of Tears

"Where's Gippal?" Tidus said softly to himself, his eyes scanning the crowd. He swallowed hard, realizing that it had been a long time since he'd seen such a large crowd. He hated to admit it, but the crowd at this party was bigger than even his record-breaking party that he'd shared with Yuna. "Where the hell is Gippal?"

Tidus didn't want to admit that he was feeling nervous, but he was. He swallowed hard again, his eyes now scanning the crowd not just for Gippal, but for a member of the Lucan team as well. If any of them found him, he'd have to start the fight, even if it was without Gippal at his side.

Tidus started up the velvety red staircase, and into a wide-open area. Gippal was still nowhere in sight.

Tidus pulled his phone out of his pocket swiftly, and typed in "Where are you?" and sent it hastily to Gippal. It had been a bad idea to drive separately after all.

With one last scan of the upstairs crowd, Tidus started back down the stairs swiftly, rather happy for the large crowd. True, it was hard for him to spot Gippal, but it was also harder for people to spot him. He blended in much better with the large crowd.

Tidus walked out the front door, his eyes looking for Gippal's car. There were some people out back, so he followed the trail of new guests, hoping that Gippal had simply gone around back.

"Hey, aren't you Tidus?" Tidus turned around to see a tall red-haired girl standing there, with a stupid grin spread across her mouth.

"Uh, yeah," Tidus said, nodding.

"Can I get a picture with you?" the girl asked, her eyes bright.

"Sure," Tidus said, shrugging. The girl handed her camera to her friend, and ran over to Tidus. Tidus told himself to relax, and he put his arm around the girl and leaned in close, smiling brightly.

"Thank you so much," the girl beamed, and then she rushed back to her friend.

"No problem," Tidus muttered, but he continued to look for Gippal. He took his cell phone from his pocket, shocked that Gippal hadn't texted him back.

There was an area of the backyard that went off to the side, so Tidus continued to follow the path, until he realized that he was in a small courtyard, completely alone. The music from the party was drifting softly into his square, but for the most part, it was eerily silent.

Tidus stood there for a second, checking his phone again. There was still no word from Gippal. He wondered if his phone was broken. Sighing, Tidus turned to leave the area, knowing that Gippal wasn't likely to find him there.

He stopped though, and his mouth fell open, and he saw who stood in front of him.

"Yuna, what the hell are you doing here?" Tidus asked, very slowly, uttering each word as if each individual word was its own sentence.

Yuna stood there, almost dumbly, her eyes full of tears.

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, and he cocked his head to the side, wondering what the cause was of her existence at the party, and her odd behavior.

"Tidus, we have to leave," Yuna said, walking toward him, "Gippal—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, for she was interrupted by a loud sneer.

"So you made it, did you Tidus?"

Both Yuna and Tidus looked behind them as a group of five young men entered the courtyard. The leader had flaming red hair.

"Bickson," Tidus sneered back.

"Who's the girl?" a guy at Bickson's right asked.

"Tidus," Yuna simply said, ignoring them.

To her shock, Tidus pushed her back behind him, almost violently.

Yuna stumbled back, tripping and falling onto her backside. She let out a little "Oof" when she landed, and the members of the Lucan team began to laugh. Tidus didn't look back at her.

Suddenly, Yuna felt a drop of water on her head. She looked up, and noticed that the storm clouds that had hung in the sky were beginning to give up. It wasn't long before there was a light drizzle of rain.

"I knew you'd be too stupid to not show up here," Bickson said, "You ready to get your head ripped open?" Yuna's eyes opened wide.

"You're the only one getting his head ripped open," Tidus said back to him, "I can take you on."

"But the question is, can you take _us_ on?" Bickson simply said, with a shrug, "Let me guess, your secret weapon is the klutzy girl?"

"Keep Yuna out of this," Tidus said.

"Tidus," Yuna said, finding her voice again.

"Shut up Yuna," Tidus said, turning to face her. His tone was incredibly harsh, and it seemed to seep right into her, like the falling rain. His eyes were full of hatred, matching his tone. "Leave," Tidus continued, "Get out of here."

The Lucan team began to laugh.

"I have to tell you something!" Yuna finally managed to cry, her voice cracking as she said it. Tears began to flow from her eyes, although she wasn't sure if she was really crying, or if it was just the rain. She was still seated on the now-wet grass, where she'd been since she'd fallen.

Tidus faced her again, his face full of confusion, when Bickson suddenly rushed toward him. Tidus was too fast though. Tidus ducked Bickson's attempt at a punch and grabbed his shirt, pulling him close to him.

"Tidus it's Gippal!" Yuna cried, and she attempted to stand, but found she couldn't.

"Gippal?" Tidus asked, his muscles relaxing. He turned to face Yuna, and Bickson threw a punch, and this time it hit Tidus square in the jaw. Tidus doubled over, and Bickson hit him hard in the gut, causing Yuna to let out a small scream.

Yuna jumped up, and started toward them, yelling, "Stop it!"

"Stay out of this," Tidus said, while holding his stomach. He then rushed toward Bickson, but Bickson simply hit Tidus again, knocking him onto the ground.

Yuna let out another scream, and Bickson cried, "Hold back the girl!"

One of Bickson's teammates rushed past the fighting Bickson and Tidus, and grabbed Yuna, holding her around the waist with more strength than Yuna could find.

"Stop it!" Yuna simply cried, as Bickson kicked Tidus hard in the side.

Tidus' face writhed in pain, and blood was gushing from his nose.

Bickson grabbed Tidus' shirt and pulled him up, and said, "How does it feel to be the one getting hit, huh Tidus?"

With that, he punched him again in the gut.

"Leave him alone!" Yuna cried, attempting to get out of her captor's hold. Tears continued to gush out of Yuna's eyes, as the rain fell harder.

Tidus fell backwards, away from Bickson, but Tidus rushed him quickly, hitting him hard in the face. It was Bickson's turn to double over, but before Tidus could get another hit on Bickson, two more of Bickson's men rushed Tidus, grabbing his arms and holding him still. Bickson regained himself, and punched Tidus hard in the face again.

Yuna couldn't take it anymore. She managed to kick her captor hard in the shin with the back of her foot, and rushed out of his grasp. She threw herself onto Bickson's back, and held down his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, on him piggy-back style, and pulled his hair forcefully.

Bickson let out a yell, and attempted to shake Yuna off. He was finally successful, and she flew to the ground, landing on her back.

Tidus pulled hard to free himself, but was unable to do so.

"Leave her alone, Bickson," Tidus said threateningly, "Hit me all you want, but leave her alone."

Bickson stood over Yuna, and sneered at her. "Leave this to the men, girlie."

"You have to let Tidus go," Yuna said, her voice rushed, "His friend is—"

Yuna couldn't finish her statement, for Bickson punched Tidus again.

Yuna stood up quickly, and angrily rushed Bickson, her hands balled into fists. She hit him hard on the back, and shouted, "Let him go!"

"Someone hold her?" Bickson said, sounding annoyed. Tidus recognized this opportunity, and managed to break free from his own captors. He rushed at Bickson, and punched him hard, sending him to the ground, while Bickson's lackeys stood there, looking confused.

"Tidus, come on," Yuna cried, grabbing his arm and attempting to drag him away.

"Not yet," Tidus said angrily.

"Gippal is in the hospital," Yuna finally managed to sputter.

"What?" Tidus cried.

"Just come on!" Yuna cried, and she ran, surprised that Tidus was running along with her. Bickson simply laid there on the ground, watching them as they left.

"What's wrong with Gip?" Tidus asked, and Yuna realized that Tidus wasn't in the best shape. His eye was black, his lip was puffy, and his nose was raining blood faster than the rain was falling.

Yuna didn't answer. She just kept running. She pulled Tidus past his car, and he didn't stop for it. He simply followed her until they arrived at hers, and they climbed in quickly, despite the fact that there was no one following them.

Yuna started off quickly, driving faster than Tidus had ever expected her to drive. She was going a good five miles per hour over the speed limit.

"There are napkins in the glove compartment," Yuna said, her tone serious. Tidus opened it up and grabbed out a handful, and shoved them at his nose.

"Gippal," Tidus said, "What's wrong?"

"He was in a car accident," Yuna said, and Tidus realized that she had tears streaming out of her eyes once again, "Rikku and I got word about two hours ago, and we rushed here."

"It happened here?"

Yuna nodded. She slowed slightly, and she said, "I thought for sure you were with him. So I came too, worried the entire time that you weren't alright."

The tears continued to stream, "Why were you so stupid, Tidus?"

"How the hell is Gippal?" Tidus asked, his tone harsh once again.

"He has some head trauma," Yuna said, "He's lucky he's not in worse shape."

Tidus let out a low sigh. "So he's going to be alright?"

"Yes," Yuna said, her voice soft, "He's probably in better shape than you are."

"Why didn't you just call me?" Tidus cried, and he stared angrily out the window.

"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to take them on without Gippal," Yuna said, shooting Tidus a nasty glare, "What were you thinking?"

"You saw how it happened, Yuna! I didn't mean to."

"I tried to warn you," Yuna simply said, "You just ignored me. And you pushed me so hard Tidus!"

"I'm sorry," Tidus said.

"Sorry?" Yuna cried, "Tidus, I thought you were dead! When the doctors didn't mention your name on the phone, I was sure it was because something horrible had happened to you. Everybody else in the accident died, and I naturally assumed that you two had been together!"

"We decided to drive separately," Tidus said softly, "We thought it'd be easier for us to hide if we arrived separately."

Yuna glanced at Tidus, tears no longer streaming down her face, but very apparent in her eyes. Her hair was dripping wet, as was Tidus'. Makeup streamed down Yuna's face, and something told Tidus that it was from crying, not from the rain. Her eyes were red, and puffier than his lip.

"This isn't the time for this," Tidus said, taking a deep breath in a sad attempt to relax, "But your eyes are beautiful when you cry."

"Don't talk," Yuna said, blinking a few times, "Not now, Tidus."

"I know, I'm sorry," Tidus said, and he stared out the window again.

Yuna drove quickly into the parking lot of the hospital, and she said, "Rikku is in there with Gippal."

"How did you find me?" Tidus asked, following Yuna hurriedly into the hospital.

"That party was easy to find," Yuna said, "There were so many people…"

She led Tidus down a hall, and sure enough, Rikku was sitting on a bench.

"Tidus!" she cried, and rushed toward him, obviously wanting to hug him. She stopped though, and cried, "What happened to you?"

"Tidus was in a fight," Yuna said, her tone harsh.

"How's Gippal?" Tidus asked, ignoring Yuna's comment.

"Still unconscious," Rikku said, her voice sounding miserable, "Thank Yevon you weren't in that car with him."

"What happened?" Tidus asked, his eyes full of concern.

"Drunk driver," Rikku said, "Gippal was on the highway, heading here, when they swerved quickly out of their lane and smashed right into him. There were two of them, both drunk and in their thirties. They died at impact."

"What a bunch of…" Tidus didn't finish his sentence, for he looked at Yuna, who was standing there, breathing rather heavily, tears dripping from her eyes.

"Yuna?" Tidus said, "You okay?"

Rikku looked at her cousin with concern too, but Yuna just forced a smile and said, "I have to use the restroom. I'll be right back." She ran then, past them, and to the bathroom.

Just seconds later, the door to Gippal's room opened, and a nurse walked out, smiling.

"He's come to," she said, her smile warm, "He'd like to see you two. Luckily, there seems to be no damage to his memory."

Tidus looked behind him at the closed door to the ladie's room, but Rikku grabbed his arm and pulled him in hastily.

"Gippal!" she cried, and flung herself at him. He was in the bed, with bandages wrapped around his head. Otherwise, he looked fine.

The door was shut behind Tidus, and Tidus found himself standing there, unsure of what to do, especially since Rikku and Gippal were kissing.

Rikku pulled herself away from Gippal though, and she said, "Tidus is here too."

"Hey," Tidus said, giving his friend a slight wave.

"What the hell happened to you?" Gippal asked, squinting.

"Uh…I was in a brawl," Tidus said, shrugging.

"Do I look as bad as him?" Gippal asked Rikku. Rikku shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Bickson get you?"

Tidus nodded, and said, "Yeah. He had a good five guys with him."

"Sorry man," Gippal said, his voice sounding pained.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," Tidus said, shrugging and forcing a smile, "You're just lucky you're alive, right?"

"Yeah, totaled my car," Gippal said, "My dad's going to freak."

"The important thing is that you're alright," Rikku said, smiling warmly at her boyfriend, "Oh, Yunie's here too."

Upon hearing her name, Tidus' forced smile disappeared. He looked at the door again.

"We thought that Tidus was with you," Rikku continued, "The nurse that called kind of led us to believe that Tidus was dead."

"Good thing we drove separately, huh?" Gippal asked, and he laughed, although Tidus wondered if it hurt when it laughed. Tidus knew he himself hurt when he laughed.

"Tidus, man," Gippal continued, "Maybe you should have yourself looked at while you're here. You really don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Tidus said, "I'm going to go look for Yuna, okay?"

"Alright," Gippal said, giving his friend a small nod. Tidus gave him a meek little smile, and then left the room, expecting to see Yuna waiting on the bench. She was nowhere in sight.

A nurse was standing down the hall a ways, jotting something down in a notebook, and Tidus approached her hurridly.

"You didn't happen to see a girl around, did you?" Tidus asked, "Around eighteen years old, brown hair, mismatched eyes?"

The nurse smiled and said, "She went that way. I think she was heading outside."

"Outside?" Tidus cried, and he hurriedly started the way that the nurse had pointed.

Tidus rushed down the hallway, until he came to doors that were marked 'exit'. Tidus ran through the doors, noticing that the rain had stopped. He looked to his right, and saw Yuna down a ways from him, sitting on a picnic table, her back to him.

She was looking down, and Tidus wondered what she was doing.

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, approaching her slowly, "Do you want to see Gippal?"

Yuna quickly brushed at her face, and Tidus wondered if she was trying to get rid of traces of tears.

"That's alright," Yuna said, "He's your friend more than he is mine."

Tidus swallowed and said, "Yeah but…"

"I'm actually thinking about going home," Yuna said, and she turned to face him. Even though she'd tried to destroy evidence of tears, Tidus knew that she'd been crying, and that she was trying hard to keep herself from continuing to cry.

"The nurse called and got us two hotel rooms," Tidus said, "So we can stay overnight."

"It's alright," Yuna said, "Gippal doesn't need me. He has you two."

"But this isn't about Gippal, is it?" Tidus asked, and he pulled himself up on the table next to Yuna, "Yuna, I'm sorry that you thought I was dead."

To this, Yuna closed her eyes tightly, and she took a deep breath.

She finally reopened her eyes, and faced him, and said, "Tidus, do you have any idea how horrible it would have been if you were dead? The entire way here, all I could think about was what I would do. I'd have to try to get a hold of your father, and whoever else you had contact with. I felt so responsible, Tidus! Like I should have tried to stop you or something!"

"But I'm fine," Tidus said, smiling. Tidus' smile was instantly wiped off of his face though, for Yuna faced her, her eyes piercing and violent.

"You're not fine!" she cried, "Have you looked at yourself? Tidus, how could you be so stupid? If I hadn't come…"

"Whoa, wait just a second," Tidus said, his tone growing angry as well, "If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been in that mess!"

"You would too have been!" Yuna cried.

"No, it's your fault that Bickson got that initial punch!"

"My fault?" Yuna shrieked, "How was it my fault?"

"You distracted me!"

"I did not! Tidus, I'm the one that got you out of there!"

"No, you're the one that got me in there!"

"You did that yourself!"

"But I wasn't going to fight if Gippal didn't show!" Tidus cried, "What took you so long to tell me what was wrong with Gippal anyway? I couldn't even fight because I was worried about him!"

"Tidus, how could I tell you something like that when I was afraid of losing you!" Yuna shouted, tears beginning to stream down her face again.

"And how the hell was I supposed to back away when I was afraid they'd hurt you?" Tidus demanded.

"They wouldn't hurt me," Yuna said surely.

Tidus laughed, an antic he instantly regretted, for it was painful to do. "You don't know them," he said.

"If they wanted to hurt me, they would have," Yuna said surely.

"Yuna, what does it matter? I'm fine. Gippal's fine. You're fine. Everybody's fine!"

"You're such an idiot," Yuna said, her voice calm, "What did going to Luca even solve? You ran out on the fight, didn't you? What did it solve? Nothing! Now Gippal's lying in the hospital, and you are sitting here with what is probably a broken nose and a swollen lip, and a black eye!" Yuna was silent then, but she set her jaw and said, "And an ex-girlfriend."

She stood up then, and said, "Tell Gippal I hope he gets well soon. I'll call and have your car towed to the hotel. You'll probably have to drive both Rikku and him home."

Tidus simply sat there, completely dumbfounded.

"Yu-Yuna!" Tidus finally cried, jumping up, although he almost fell, for it hurt him to jump, "Yuna, come back here. Can't we just talk? I can explain…"

"I know," Yuna said, turning to face him, her tears completely gone, "It's three words: Blitz rivals. You know what Tidus, it's not three words. It's two!"

She turned angrily, walking toward her car again.

"I know it's two!" Tidus cried, "Yuna!"

Yuna didn't answer him. She crawled into her car, and started the engine, and backed out quickly.

"Yuna," Tidus said, his voice just a whisper. As if on cue, he felt a few raindrops on his head. He began to run, as fast as he could, toward the parking lot. But she was already out of sight by the time he reached the lot.

His mind was numb, frozen. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. The only things that moved were the tears that slipped slowly down his cheeks.

It was over.


	22. No Wrong

Sorry that I'm a teensie bit late getting this out! I forgot that I was supposed to update today. I usually like to update between 9 & 10 am, but it's now -gasp- 2 pm! Haha, and this time, we can thank Hyde's "Shallow Sleep". I haven't had much time to write, but I at least have chapter 23 finished...Heh, I'm going to have to really start writing! Enjoy!

Chapter 22: No Wrong

The water felt cool on Tidus' face, but he barely noticed. He rubbed softly at his eyes, shocked at how black his right eye really was. His nose appeared almost crooked, which worried him, but only momentarily. Not much was on his mind.

He stared at his reflection for a long time. Many guys came in to use the restroom, and they all shot him confused looks, all sad looks. They must have figured that he'd lost someone close to him. But he had, hadn't he?

He finally managed to stumble out of the bathroom, his body numb, his mind blank. He was shaky, and very tired. It was getting late, but he knew it wasn't the time that was exhausting him.

Rikku was sitting on the bench, and she smiled at him and stood up quickly.

"The nurse says he needs to sleep now," Rikku said, her voice in a whisper, "We're free to go to the hotel now. Where's Yunie?"

Tidus looked at the ground, and mumbled, "She went home."

"She went home?" Rikku cried, "Did she have something she had to do tomorrow?"

Tidus shook his head.

"I'll call her and tell her she can come back," Rikku said, smiling. She started to dial Yuna's number, but she then stopped, her smile wiping itself off of her face instantly.

"Wait a minute," she cried, staring at Tidus with alarmed eyes, "Yunie didn't…You two didn't…"

Tidus ignored her and walked back toward the exit. He was lucky the hotel was nearby, and within walking distance.

"How selfish of her!" Rikku was crying in the background, "Your best friend is in the hospital, and you're all beat up, and she just leaves like that? I'm going to call her right now and tell her…"

"Just leave her alone," Tidus said, surprised at how calm his voice was.

"Leave her alone?" Rikku cried, "Tidus, what did you even do?"

Tidus shrugged and said a muffled, "I don't know."

"How are we going to get home?" Rikku cried, "They said Gippal can probably be released tomorrow."

They stopped though, upon seeing Tidus' silver sportscar parked in the hotel parking lot. Tidus had to knaw hard on his lip to keep himself from losing it. Yuna had taken care of it, just as she'd said.

"Well, that answers that question," Rikku said, shrugging. She walked past Tidus, and toward the hotel.

"Tidus," she said, her voice full of concern, "Are you alright? You really look horrible."

Tidus didn't answer her. He simply walked back past her, and into the hotel, and walked up to the desk, ignoring the stares he was getting. The lady smiled at him, and handed him the key to both his room and Rikku's room. Tidus tossed Rikku her key, and started toward his room, not saying anything.

Rikku sighed, and followed him, her eyes on the ground.

-

"Hey Gippal, how are you feeling?" Rikku whispered.

Gippal's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled, and sat up, saying, "Much better."

Rikku smiled, and said, "The nurses say you can leave in a few hours."

"Good," Gippal said, "Spending the night here really sucked."

"I bet," Rikku said, and she leaned in to kiss him, "So you really feeling okay?"

"Yeah," Gippal said, nodding, "Where's Tidus?"

"He's still at the hotel," Rikku said, her smile fading.

"And Yuna?" Gippal asked, raising his eyebrows, as if thinking they were together.

Rikku's smile was now completely gone, and she said, "Gippal, Tidus and Yuna broke up."

"What?" Gippal asked, sitting up a little too fast, for it caused him to let out a soft "ow".

"Yeah, last night," Rikku said, "I don't know the details. All I know is that Yunie left and Tidus was kind of upset."

"Did he cry?" Gippal asked.

Rikku laughed and said, "No!"

"Dude, I'm surprised," Gippal said, "Why'd she leave?"

"I really don't know," Rikku said, "I wanted to call her, but Tidus told me not to. Do you think I should anyway?"

Gippal looked thoughtful, and he said, "Did Tidus seem upset?"

"Very," Rikku answered.

"That sucks," Gippal said, "I'm guessing it was her that dumped him? I mean, I figured it was going to happen eventually, but—"

"You thought she'd dump him?" Rikku asked, her voice suddenly of higher pitch.

"Well yeah. They kept having lame arguments and stuff…"

"But they were so cute together!" Rikku cried.

"Rikku, it's not all about cute," Gippal said, "Let's face it, they have nothing in common."

"Sure they do!" Rikku said surely.

"Like what?" Gippal questioned.

Rikku appeared deep in thought, but she finally sighed and said, "You're right…they don't. But that's what made them so cute!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble Rikku, but this isn't some fairytale. This is reality. Well, Tidus'll get over it fast enough."

"No he won't!" Rikku said, "Gippal, they're totally in love! He must be so heartbroken! I bet she is too."

Gippal laughed and said, "Nah, they'll both get over it soon."

"I'm positive Yunie is crushed," Rikku said, pulling out her cell phone, "I'm going to call her."

Gippal took Rikku's arm that held the cell phone in his hand, shaking his head. "Don't get involved," he warned.

"Gippal, I want them to be happy!" Rikku cried.

"I'll talk to Tidus, alright?" Gippal said.

"No," Rikku said, "I'm talking to them both. You're too cold-hearted."

Gippal laughed. "Cold-hearted, huh?"

"Yes," Rikku said, pecking him on the forehead, "I'm going to go call Yuna."

"I really don't think you should get involved," Gippal said, smiling wryly, "I'm sure they can work it out on their own."

"I guess…" Rikku said, "I'll give them a week. And if they don't fix it themselves, then I'm going to!"

Gippal laughed and said, "Fair enough."

At that moment, a nurse came in, and smiled at the two, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Great," Gippal answered, a charming smile spreading itself across his lips. Rikku wondered if Tidus was rubbing off of him, for the nurse seemed charmed, and she smiled back warmly.

"Everything appears to be in order," the nurse reported, "You're free to leave."

"Really?" Gippal asked, sitting up.

"Just give us a few seconds," the nurse said, looking at Rikku, "The doctor wants to take one last look."

Rikku smiled at Gippal, and then left, knowing that was her cue to leave. Rikku shut the door behind her and stopped, seeing a rather depressed-looking Tidus sitting on the bench.

"Good morning, Tidus!" Rikku said, attempting to be as peppy as she could be, "How are you?"

"Okay," came a muffled response from Tidus.

"Alright…" Rikku said, "The nurse says Gippal will be free to leave soon. Ready to go home?"

To this, Tidus looked at her with a vacant look in his normally bright blue eyes, and said, "Sure…"

"Hey, pep up," Rikku said, sitting next to him with a smile still across her face, "Everything's going to be just fine."

Tidus didn't say anything. He simply continued to stare at an imaginary item on the floor.

The nurse walked out then before Rikku could say anything else, and soon Gippal walked out too, a broad smile across his lips. Rikku ran up and hugged him.

Tidus watched them, his eyes blank and expressionless. What made them still together? Gippal was the one that was in the accident, wasn't he? Was wasn't Rikku upset? Tidus sighed. Rikku wasn't upset because she had no idea what Gippal was doing. Tidus suddenly found himself glaring at his friend. So it was Gippal's lies that held the relationship together.

"Come on," Tidus said, standing up, and pulling his keys out of his pocket, "Let's get going."

Gippal and Rikku gave each other questioning looks, but they sighed and followed Tidus out of the hospital.

-

It was mid-afternoon by the time Tidus pulled in his driveway. Rikku and Gippal had begged him to have lunch with them, but he'd turned them down, and had dropped them off at Rikku's house, and then left. He wasn't in the mood to eat.

With a quick pound on the 'power' button, the sphere flashed on, but the images that appeared didn't distract Tidus. He seemed to look straight through them, his mind everywhere, unable to focus.

He didn't understand. What had he done wrong? He had told Yuna the truth. He'd told her that he was going to fight. He hadn't been in the accident. He wasn't dead. Shouldn't she be happy? And he wasn't in horrible shape after that fight. He could have had it much worse.

Did bit his lip hard in thought. Didn't Yuna realize that he was a _boy_? Boys fought. It was how things were.

Tidus sighed and walked over to his window, his hands stuffed absent-mindedly in his pockets. His eyes wandered over the house that was next door to his own. Sitting on the balcony was Yuna, looking intrigued by whatever she was reading.

Tidus' eyes were on her for some time, before he finally closed the blinds. He watched as they fell almost slowly, covering Yuna from his view. He stared at them for some time, realizing how dusty they were. He hadn't used them in years.

He stared at them for about ten seconds, before hastily pulling them back up. Already, he wanted to see her again.

When he raised them, however, she was gone. Tidus caught her just as her sliding door shut completely, signaling that she'd gone back into her house. Whether she'd gone inside on purpose or not was beyond him, but with the way he was feeling, he could only figure the worst.

He walked outside of his house, exiting via the back door, and walked toward his pool. He glanced over at Yuna's house hastily, but it was very quiet, almost as if she wasn't home.

-

"I told Rikku not to get involved, and this totally makes me a hypocrite, but get a grip, Tidus!" Gippal cried, "What the hell have you been doing the last few days, just sitting here and eating?"

Tidus simply grabbed another handful of chips and shoved them into his mouth, and took a giant chug of beer to wash them down.

"You're going to be an alcoholic if you don't knock it off!" Gippal cried, grabbing the can of beer from Tidus, "There's a good ten empty beer cans, and what, twenty empty pop cans?"

Tidus didn't answer him. He just continued to stare blankly at the sphere.

"Yuna's doing just fine," Gippal said, "I saw her the other day helping out with some charity art show."

Tidus still didn't say a word.

"She looks healthy, she's not developing a beer belly, and she still had some life left in her," Gippal said, "Unlike you.

"Dude, it's ten o'clock in the morning. Have you even slept? What'd you do to break it off, anyway?"

Tidus shrugged.

"Did you even talk to? Have you even talked to her since she broke up with you?"

Tidus shook his head.

"Why the hell not? Chase her, Tidus! You have to do something, instead of sitting around here. Either go fight to get her back, or go clubbing and get wasted there. At least then there's hope of you finding a new girl or something…"

Noticing Tidus' continued silence, Gippal continued. "Our birthdays are in a little over a week. If you don't get off your ass and help me plan the party, I'm just not celebrating with you. And what's more important? The ninth anniversary of us celebrating our b-days together, or some stupid chick?"

"The stupid chick," Tidus mumbled.

"Yevon, get a grip!" Gippal cried, "And I thought _I_ was whipped. That's it, I'm marching over to Yuna's and getting her over here to talk to you."

Tidus said nothing.

"I'm out," Gippal said, shaking his head, "If you want to mess your life up over some girl, go for it. Seriously Tidus, I wouldn't have a problem with it, but have you even tried to get her back? You're _Tidus_. You can get anyone to fall in love with you. So what the hell is your problem? March right over to her and sweep her off of her feet. Of course, you might want to sober up a bit and shower, and shave off that beard you've got going on. Facial hair isn't your thing. A change of clothes might be good too, since you're still wearing those clothes from the party. Tidus, seriously, now I'm sounding like a girl, but that's gross. There's blood all over and it's ripped and… Man, just go get cleaned up.

"If you like her that much, go get her back. Girls just like to be apologized to. She's probably over there right now, waiting for you to come. Alright? Stop being a baby. Go apologize."

Seeing that Tidus was still not reacting, Gippal finally sighed and said, "Tidus, pick your Yevon-damned self up! She's just some _girl_! If she means—"

Tidus suddenly stood up, knocking his bag of chips to the floor.

"You're right Gip!" he said, a smile spreading across his face, "She's just some girl. She's not even a fun girl! I mean, we went out for—what, two weeks?—and we barely kissed! And if we did kiss, it was rarely with tongue. I thought I was becoming a better guy and stuff, but who wants that? I'm _Tidus_, the blitz player. Not some whipped puppy! See you 'round Gip. I'm gonna go clubbing, like you said."

"W-Wait Tidus!" Gippal called after his friend, who was already halfway upstairs heading toward the bathroom, "Shouldn't you discuss some things with Yuna first? You know, just to clear things up?"

"Nah," came Tidus' response, "Thanks Gip, I owe you a beer or something." With that, Tidus slammed the door to his bathroom, and Gippal heard water running and Tidus whistling.

Gippal's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he knew without answering who it was.

"How'd it go? Have they made up yet?" it was of course Rikku.

Gippal sighed and said, "I think I gave Tidus the wrong idea. He's heading out to go clubbing."

"Clubbing?" Rikku cried, "That's it, I'm taking care of things."

"Fine," Gippal said, "I give up."

"I'm going to talk to Yunie right now!" Rikku just said in a sing-song voice, "I promise, I'll be more successful than you!" With that, Rikku hung up, leaving Gippal alone in Tidus' living room, listening as his friend whistled a happy tune upstairs.

-

"Hey Yunie, long time no see!" Rikku said, walking in, although Yuna was looking rather confused.

"Where's Gippal?" Yuna questioned suspiciously.

"I don't know," Rikku answered with a shrug, "Where's Tidus?"

"Tidus?" Yuna asked, sighing loudly, "Didn't he tell you? I broke up with him?"

Rikku faked a gasp of horror. "You did what?" she cried, "But you two were totally in love!"

"I know…" Yuna simply mused softly to herself.

"I bet he misses you so much," Rikku continued.

"I haven't seen him," Yuna said, shrugging.

"Let's go see him right now then," Rikku said, pushing Yuna toward the door.

"Rikku!" Yuna said, her tone angry, "I don't want to see him."

"What did he do anyways?" Rikku cried, her voice becoming whiny.

Yuna hugged her arms and said, "You had to be there, Rikku. I can't explain it."

"Try," Rikku pushed, "Maybe if I just understood…"

"It's just…He was always so gentle, you know? I felt so safe in his arms, and I didn't want to be anywhere else."

"Great!" Rikku chirped, "Come on, go over there right now and tell him that!"

"You don't get it," Yuna said, her eyes downcast, "I was so happy to see him, alive. I just wanted to feel his arms around me, and feel that safety that I thought was gone."

"Go right now," Rikku cried, "Let him wrap his arms around you, and—"

"Instead though, he just pushed me. He didn't even care about what I had to tell him! He didn't even care that I fell over when he pushed me. He didn't care that I had to watch him as they beat him up, feeling completely helpless!" Yuna was now crying, and Rikku was standing there, completely dumbfounded.

"And then," Yuna continued, "When we were finally free, I didn't get any 'thanks for your help', or 'sorry I pushed you', or 'I'm sorry you had to see that'! Instead, I just got a stupid half-ass 'sorry'".

Rikku jumped at Yuna's choice in words, and swallowed saying, "Tidus is really upset, Yuna."

"So what, he sent you over here?" Yuna asked, giving her cousin a glare.

"No, I came on my own," Rikku said, "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing just fine," Yuna said, wiping her tears quickly, "As long as I don't have to see _him_, that is."

"Yuna, be forgiving," Rikku said, "I'm sure Tidus didn't mean for things to happen the way they happened."

Yuna sighed and said, "It's just that…I really thought that Tidus could protect me from anything. Almost like he was Yevon, or something. You know? An angel. But when I saw him get beat up like that…"

"We're all human," Rikku reminded her cousin.

"But Tidus really led me to believe that he could do no wrong," Yuna said, "Even though I knew he wasn't, I somehow thought that was completely innocent. And I thought that he would forget all of his stupid ways and become that perfect, flawless boyfriend that I wanted."

"Even Tidus has flaws," Rikku said, "You have to be forgiving, Yunie!"

"Maybe you're right," Yuna mumbled softly, "It's just the look in his eyes that night, the tone of his voice…it frightened me. He's from a world completely unlike my own. A world where sex and drinking are okay, fighting is the norm… Things I'm totally against, you know?"

"But you guys were doing so good to get around that stuff!" Rikku protested.

Yuna shrugged and looked out the window toward Tidus' house. "It's better this way," she said, "I'm sure of it."

"But Tidus is so depressed!" Rikku cried.

Suddenly, a loud blast went through Yuna's house, and Yuna recognized it immediately as the sound of Tidus' speakers.

"He sounds really depressed," Yuna said, annoyed, for she had forgotten how much she hated his speaker system. She felt something swarm around her. Hatred. She hated him, just as she had earlier that summer.

"It was stupid," Yuna cried then, "I fell into his trap, and now I'm getting out of it. It was stupid. Stupid of me, stupid of Tidus, and we both know that now!"

"Yunie…" Rikku said, her voice soft, "That's not how it is…"

"It is too," Yuna said surely, "Now if you don't mind, I have to read. Do me a favor and tell Tidus to turn his music down?"

"Do it yourself," Rikku said, sounding angry.

Yuna opened her mouth to say something, but Tidus' speakers turned off then. The girls looked out the window, just in time to see Tidus—looking rather nicely dressed—laugh into his phone, "Oh yeah, they still work!"

"Oh, he seems super depressed," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "See you around, Rikku."

"Yunie, he _is _depressed!" Rikku cried, "That's just how he handles depression!"

Yuna peeked out the window just in time to see Tidus laughing at whoever he was talking to's joke.

"No man, I'm getting wasted tonight," Tidus was saying loudly, "You know that hot dark-haired chick at Rin's Bar? Yeah, I'm hooking with her. Of course I know she's twenty-two! Why the hell does that matter?"

"Yeah, really depressed," Yuna said again, and with that, slammed her curtains shut, blocking the view to the outside.

"He really was…" Rikku mumbled, "Fine Yunie, you can just let Tidus walk out of your life! I don't care. I'm going to be with Gippal. See you around, I guess."

"Sure, bye," Yuna said, picking up her book.

Rikku let out a low sigh of defeat, and headed out the door.

-

"I almost had her!" Rikku said, leaning back in the passenger seat of Gippal's car, "But then Tidus comes outside all happy. What did you say to him anyway? Did you tell him to forget about Yuna?"

"No, he's just being an idiot," Gippal said, sighing loudly, "This really sucks, you know. Seriously, Tidus needs to grow up, and Yuna was perfect for him. Now he's back to his old ways."

"And Yunie seriously needs to get out," Rikku added, rolling her eyes, "A guy like Tidus is perfect for her!"

Gippal laughed and said, "So this whole time, Yuna's all worried about not having anything in common. But that's what makes them so perfect for each other."

"Exactly," Rikku said, "But how do we make them realize it?"

Gippal sighed and gave Rikku a small smile, "We can't make them realize it. They have to realize it on their own."

"Can't we help?" Rikku questioned.

Gippal simply continued to smile, and he shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said, "All we can do is hope that with time, they'll come to their senses."

Rikku nodded slowly, and let out yet another sigh. "I guess we have to be patient then?"

Gippal nodded, and added, "And hope for the best."

Rikku simply smiled, and nodded.

"Do you think they'll ever get back together?" Rikku asked, lying her head on Gippal's shoulder.

"It's hard to say," Gippal said, "Yuna's stubborn, so it'll take a lot for her to budge. And Tidus is stubborn too, but in a different kind of way. He gets wrapped up in things easily."

Gippal's eyes were suddenly somewhat dim though, for he sighed and said, "But to be honest, I wondered if the relationship would last long. Tidus only has a week or so before he heads off to school. And when he leaves, he won't be coming back. He pulls this whole 'I-don't-know-what-school I'm going to stunt just to see how much he can get. He's off to Zanarkand."

"Oh…" Rikku said, softly, "Maybe this is for the better then."

Gippal sighed and said, a soft, "Yeah…"

The two rode the rest of the way in silence.


	23. The Car

Okay, here's chapter 23 (wow, already?)! I finally managed to write chapter 24 last night, and I'll have to write chapter 25 sometime before Monday... Heh... Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 23: The Car

Every girl wants a fairytale romance. The kind where they fall head-over-heels for a guy, and have him fall head-over-heels with her. After spending an undocumented time together with nothing but romance, drama always unfolds, but in the end, the lovers get back together, their arms outstretched, running into each other's arms.

In reality though, romances weren't like that. Or at least, as Yuna had discovered. She'd spent the last few days reading anything _but_ romance novels. She read science fiction, horror, and mystery, but was shocked to find how much romance was actually in those novels. It made her sick.

What made her even sicker was watching Tidus make out with random girls in his yard. It was a new girl every day. First, it had been a dark-haired girl, followed by two days of random blondes, and now it was a brunette. Yuna assumed Tidus was doing it just to make her jealous, but she ignored him. Usually she'd be out on her balcony, and he'd come out and proceed to kiss the girl right in front of Yuna. Yuna would simply ignore him and pretend to focus on her novel. She knew he was expecting her to get up and go inside her house, but she didn't. She sat there, playing it cool. In reality, she was fuming. She wasn't jealous, not of those girls, especially when Tidus had a new girl every day. She was upset that he would do that to her. He had hurt her enough on the day of the party.

She had expected him to talk to her, or something. Didn't she get a day to collect her emotions, and then wasn't he supposed to approach her and make everything right again? Apparently not. It'd been a week since the party.

Yuna had actually toyed with the idea of getting a boyfriend, and making Tidus feel jealous, but she knew it was childish. Tidus was the childish one, not her. And it was going to remain that way.

Yuna happened to look up from her book only to feel the color fade from her mouth. Tidus was proceeding to give his newest girl a hickie, while her shirt laid carelessly thrown by their feet. Luckily she was in a bra, but the last thing Yuna needed to see was them going any further than they already were.

Yuna dropped her heavy, hardcover science fiction novel with a loud thud, causing both Tidus and his new fling to jump.

"Tidus!" Yuna cried over the railing of the balcony.

The girl froze, but Tidus, who was facing Yuna, simply smiled and said, "Yes Yuna?"

"Take it to the bedroom," Yuna said, attempting to play the part of the disgusted next-door neighbor—the only part that she should have ever had, not the jealous ex-girlfriend—"Alright?"

"Oh, sure," Tidus said, "Sorry 'bout that." He smiled his perfect set of teeth, and led the girl back to his house.

Yuna stood there, staring after them. That smile. She bit her lip. She wanted to see it again. That stupid innocent smile. The one that had her trapped to begin with. How could Tidus literally be having sex right in front of her eyes, but convince her that he was totally innocent with that one little smile?

Crossing her arms, Yuna pouted. He was a jerk. An absolute jerk. She not only loved him for that smile, but she also hated him for it. Luckily, or so she convinced herself, she hated it more than she loved it.

Sighing loudly, she sat back down and picked up her book, finding herself swearing—a very odd and strange habit that she'd just developed—under her breath, for Tidus had made her lose her page.

-

"Ya know, I'm just not feeling it anymore," Tidus said, pushing the girl away gently.

"What? Why not?" she breathed, her hands running themselves down his chest.

"Don't know," Tidus said, his eyes wandering out the window, "Just leave, and I'll call you later, okay Giselle?"

"It's Elsa."

"Right, Elsa. See ya 'round."

The girl glared at him, grabbed her belongings, and marched out of his room. Tidus didn't pull his eyes away from the window.

Well, he'd finally gotten what he'd wanted. Yuna had recognized him. He sighed out loud, realizing that it had taken her an awful long time. Was she really that over him?

Tidus phone vibrated then, and Tidus pulled it out quickly.

"Sorry, but I'm not sleeping with you tonight," Tidus mumbled into the phone, positive that it was one of his hook-ups.

"I'd sure as hell hope not." It was Gippal.

"Oh, hey Gip, you don't want me to sleep with you tonight?" Tidus said, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Not tonight," Gippal responded, "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Good, I need your ass," Tidus said, laughing, "What's up?"

"Party, Tidus. Rikku and I are at the store right now, buying the booze. What do you want?"

"Depends," Tidus said, his tone dropping, "Can you still buy that 100 proof shit?"

"Not with this I.D.," Gippal said, "You know they won't sell it to me when my I.D. is totally fake."

"I thought Rikku wanted you to quit drinking," Tidus said, "Why's she with you?"

"It's not for me, it's for the party," Gippal simply reminded Tidus, "And, the park I thought we'd have it at got busted just last night. Let's have it at your place instead."

Tidus laughed and said, "No can do."

"Why not?" Gippal asked, "You live to party!"

"I'm under strict rules with the _neighbor_," Tidus said, purposely sneering that word.

"Yuna? Rikku'll talk her outta whatever rules," Gippal assured him, "So anyway, you want the heaviest stuff I can get on this I.D.?"

"Yes," Tidus responded, "But not for me."

"Then for who?"

"For the rest of the guests. This party has to be awesome."

"That's the spirit," Gippal said, "Okay, I'll just get a bunch of everything."

"Sounds good," Tidus said, still looking out the window, "See you around then."

"Yeah," Gippal said, and then they both hung up.

Tidus looked at his phone for some time, and let out a loud sigh. He was not looking forward to his birthday party for the first time in his life.

-

"Tidus knows he can't have a party," Yuna said, putting a book on the shelf and standing up, "So I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"Yunie please," Rikku said, following her cousin, who was volunteering at the library, "I came all the way to the library to talk to you. At least try to listen."

"I already know, Tidus and Gippal are going to have a joint birthday party, and Tidus is going to go against his word and have it at his house," Yuna said, putting another book on the shelf.

"Which is fine, right?" Rikku said, smiling, "I mean, you're invited, after all."

"I'm not going to be going," Yuna said, shooting her cousin a nice smile, "And that party can be thrown elsewhere."

"Yuuunieeeeee!" Rikku cried, "This is their _birthday_!"

"Tidus was practically making babies with his daily girlfriend in front of my eyes!" Yuna cried, "I'm not going to give in!"

"Tidus is being a jerk," Rikku said surely, "Please Yunie? For Gippal and me, not for Tidus?"

Yuna laughed. "Rikku, think about it. If Tidus has that party, what am I really going to do about it?"

Rikku's smile faded, and she said, "Tidus refuses to have the pary without your permission."

Yuna almost fell off of the stool she was standing on.

"What?" she cried, "Why? Does he really care what I think?"

"Apparently," Rikku said, shrugging, "He says he won't have the party until you yourself tells him that it's okay."

Yuna didn't say anything. She just kept putting books away, and unreadable expression on her face. She hadn't expected that. She'd expected Tidus to be a jerk and have that party with or without her permission.

"He's up to something," Yuna said surely, "Tidus is right back to his old ways, and I'm certain of it. He's obviously planning something."

"Yes, a party," Rikku said, "Just do me a favor and give him permission. Please Yunie?"

"You just tell him I say it's alright," Yuna said, "I'll just go…somewhere else for the night or something."

"He said you have to tell him yourself."

Yuna rolled her eyes and said, "That's probably part of whatever his plan is."

"Yunie, just because you two broke up doesn't mean you can't be friends. Have you even spoken to him since the night of Gippal's accident?"

"No," Yuna said, crossing her arms, "But he's never spoken to me, either."

"Well, you need to make the moves," Rikku said, "Because Tidus isn't going to."

"Exactly. I'm not going to 'make the moves.'"

"Yunie, you are impossible!" Rikku cried, throwing her arms up dramatically in despair, "Please, for Gippal and me!"

"I'll think about it," Yuna said, shoving another book angrily into its spot on the shelf, "I can't do anything about it now, can I?"

"No…" Rikku agree softly, "Fine, I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"

"Fine," Yuna agreed, "Bye Rikku."

"Bye…"

-

Yuna pulled hastily into her driveway, a stack of new books sitting in the passenger side. She unbuckled her seatbelts and walked out of the car, tucking the books under her arm. She walked down the driveway to get the mail, only to notice that there was a new vehicle in Tidus' driveway. It was the old car he'd showed her.

Tidus was standing in his driveway with three guys she'd never seen before, analyzing the car. The hood of the car was lifted and the guys were all looking in there, laughing about something or other.

Tidus shut the hood then, and looked up, noticing that Yuna was watching him.

Yuna of course immediately turned to her mail, attempting to act as if she'd only been looking at what she had received instead of at Tidus.

She glanced up and noticed that Tidus was nodding toward her to his friends, and they were all laughing. She looked down at herself, wondering what Tidus had told them about her.

She swallowed hard then, and marched up her driveway, and toward her house.

"Yuna!"

She stopped. The voice startled her. She looked up at the sky, and turned around on her heel.

"Yes, Tidus?" she asked sweetly, noticing that he was leaning up against his new (well, old) car and that his friends were all watching her.

"Come here for a sec," Tidus said, shooting her a smile.

"I'm kind of busy," Yuna answered.

"Ah, come here!" Tidus cried, "The guys want to meet you!"

"I'm sorry," Yuna said, shooting them another sweet smile, "I really am busy."

"Doing what?" Tidus asked.

Yuna opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of a lie fast enough. She gave herself a quick look-over and laid her books and mail down, and started off toward Tidus' yard, wondering what she was doing exactly.

"Yes?" Yuna just said, realizing instantly that giving into Tidus was a very bad idea. Tidus was still leaning against the car, his arms crossed and a smirk spread out across his lips. His friends were standing behind the car. Both of his friends were rather cute, Yuna had to admit, although standing next to Tidus, they were nothing.

"Like the car?" Tidus asked.

"Sure," Yuna said, "I really have to go."

"Hear about the party?" Tidus asked, ignoring her.

"Yes," Yuna answered.

"You coming?" Tidus asked.

"I'm really busy," Yuna just answered again.

"Of course you are," Tidus said, nodding surely, "Well, just thought I'd let the guys get a close-up look at you."

"Um, okay," Yuna said, looking at the two guys with a very unsure look on her face.

"They're desperate," Tidus said, "And I know you're getting jealous of all my girls, so I thought I'd bring some guys over for you."

The two guys exchanged smirks.

"You are such a jerk," Yuna just cried, and turned around.

Tidus laughed and said, "Yuna! I'm trying to be nice here!"

Yuna ignored him, and marched across her yard toward her house.

"I'll be right back," Yuna heard Tidus say to the guys, and she knew he was walking after her, "Yuna, come back here!"

Yuna ignored him and walked faster.

She reached her front door and hurriedly picked up her books and mail, but she wasn't quick enough. She felt Tidus' hand on her elbow, which he gripped, and spun her around.

"I was kidding," Tidus said, "Those guys are just some guys from my team."

"Ha ha, you're so funny," Yuna said, trying to pull herself from his reach.

"The truth is," Tidus said, "I wanted to know if you wanted to be the first one to ride in the passenger seat."

"Yeah right," Yuna retorted, "Go get that blonde girl, or that brunette, or that red-head, or—"

"I want you it to be you," Tidus just said, smiling widely.

"Tidus, if it's about the party, go ahead, have it. You don't have to bribe me," Yuna said, trying to pull away from him again.

Tidus' features softened, and he said, "Really?"

"Yeah," Yuna said, "I'll just go out of town or something…"

"W-Wait, you're not coming?" Tidus asked then, looking almost hurt.

"No, I'm not coming," Yuna said, "Why are you talking to me right now? That's all you wanted, right?"

Yuna heard car doors shut from the distance, and noticed that Tidus' friends were pulling out of his driveway.

"Where are they going?" Yuna asked.

Tidus shrugged and said, "To a party or something."

"And you're not going with them?"

Tidus looked at Yuna and said, "I don't have to."

"Well you should," Yuna said, "You can drive your new car."

"You wouldn't rather get ice cream or something?" Tidus asked, his eyes directly on Yuna's.

"Tidus, don't feel guilty about the party," Yuna said, her face appearing almost solemn, "It's really okay. It's my birthday present to you."

"Right," Tidus said, nodding slowly.

"…So, you can let go of my elbow now," Yuna said, giving him a sweet smile.

"R-Right," Tidus said, dropping her elbow.

"Bye Tidus," Yuna said, still smiling sweetly.

Tidus didn't say anything. He just stood there, with an almost dumb expression on his face.

"Yuna wait!" he cried, just as she shut the front door.

She took a deep breath, and opened it, so that just the screen separated her from Tidus.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I really do want you to be the first to ride in it," Tidus said, his eyes on hers again.

"It's alright, I'm sure the other girls would enjoy it much more than I would," Yuna said.

"But Yuna!" Tidus said, just as she was about to shut the door again, "I don't want them to ride in it. I just want you to."

Yuna licked her lips and said, "Tidus, I'm sorry, but it's over. Okay?"

"Does it really have to be?" Tidus asked, "I'm sorry for whatever I did, Yuna."

"You don't even know what you did?" Yuna cried, "Tidus, you worried me so much!"

"I'm sorry," Tidus said.

"And you were so violent with me!" Yuna continued.

"I'm sorry," Tidus said again.

"You put yourself and Gippal's life in danger," Yuna continued, "And perhaps mine too!"

"Yuna, I'm—"

"Tidus, it just didn't work out, okay? That's all there is to it."

Tidus took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, you're right…"

Yuna simply nodded. She hadn't exactly expected him to give in so easily.

He proved her wrong though with what came out of his mouth next.

"Yuna, I'm in love with you," he said, giving every word intonation, "I can't stop thinking about you. Okay? It's driving me crazy! I know I was an idiot. I know I was stupid. I know we don't have anything in common, but Yevon-damn it, that's what I love about us! I love the fact that I don't agree with anything that you say, I love the fact that you roll your eyes at me every ten seconds, I love the fact that you'd rather read while I watch a blitz game. I love the fact that even though we both know we're totally opposite, we try to make it work. I love the stupid little arguments we have, and how easily they're forgotten. I love how you wear a tank-top and shorts under your nightgown because you're afraid that it would be too risqué otherwise—"

"Tidus!" Yuna cried, "When have you—"

"Well you do!" Tidus said, "Yuna, I love you."

Yuna was quite taken aback. She couldn't lie to herself, she'd been waiting for Tidus to do what he had just done. Something utterly romantic, sweet, and mature. All of the things that she had forced herself to believe that he wasn't.

Yuna licked her lips and said, "Fine, I guess I can go get some ice cream with you."

"Really?" Tidus cried, his eyes glowing, "I swear, Yuna, I—"

"Come on," Yuna just said, walking back outside, "We wouldn't want them to run out of the cake part of the chocolate cake ice cream."

"Right!" Tidus said, slipping his hand into Yuna's.

"Let's not move too fast…" Yuna warned him, looking down at their enclosed hands, "After all, I didn't—"

Yuna didn't get to finish, for Tidus' other hand went around her waist, and her lips met his before she could stop it.

Her first thought was to pull away, but she couldn't. She simply couldn't.

-

"Okay Tidus, that's enough," Yuna finally managed to push Tidus away, "They'll run out of your ice cream, and we don't want that."

"I'd rather kiss you," Tidus just said, leaning in again.

"The manager has been giving us death glares," Yuna said, pointing toward the window of the ice cream parlor, "I'm sure he hates us."

"Who cares," Tidus said, attempting once again to kiss her.

"Come on," Yuna said, opening the door. Tidus smiled, and opened his door too, walking in after Yuna.

They walked up to the counter, only to have the annoyed manager say, "We're sorry, but we're out of the cake part of the chocolate cake ice cream."

"You're kidding!" Tidus cried.

"Maybe if you weren't too busy making out with your girlfriend in front of my shop," the manager said nastily, causing Yuna to blush deeply, "We wouldn't be out."

Tidus glared at him, and said, "Hey, at least I have a girlfriend."

"I'm not your girlfriend," Yuna whispered to Tidus with a sly smile, "Come on, I'm not in the mood for ice cream anymore anyway." Yuna didn't wait for Tidus. She simply started back toward the door.

"She is my girlfriend," Tidus said to the manager, who was just shaking his head, "Yuna, wait up!"

Tidus chased her out the door and said, "You didn't want any ice cream?"

"No," Yuna said, smiling, "I just really wanted to go for a ride in your new—well, old—car."

"Whatever, you didn't even comment on my custom leather seats! What did you want, Yuna who is not my girlfriend?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"To kiss me?"

"No, that was the last thing on my mind," Yuna said, laughing as she climbed into Tidus' car, "Perhaps you charmed me?"

"Perhaps?"

"Yes, perhaps."

"So, Yuna who is not my girlfriend…would you like to be my girlfriend?" Tidus shot her a charming smile.

"Let me think…" Yuna said, throwing him a smile, "I don't usually date guys like you."

"Really now?" Tidus asked, "What kind of guys do you date them?"

"Hmm…Well, I like cocky, blonde blitzball players who are horrible at math and who have a strange and bizarre love for chocolate cake ice cream."

"Well, I've never known a guy like that…" Tidus mused softly, "I'm afraid all I have is the blonde blitzball part. But hey, I'm handsome, hot, sexy, have amazing abs—"

"Wow, you have the cocky aspect too!" Yuna said, pushing him playfully.

"I guess I do," Tidus said, "So then, what do you say?"

Yuna laughed and said, "I don't know…"

"Aw, come on Yuna!" Tidus said, a smile huge on his face.

"Alright," Yuna finally said, her smile matching Tidus'.

"Great!" Tidus said, and he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else and kiss," Yuna said, laughing, "Mr. Manager is getting really mad."

"Right!" Tidus said, and with that, he pulled out of the parking lot, waving at the annoyed manager as he drove off.


	24. A Definite Possibility

Yay, chapter 24! This chapter took me forever to write, but once I finally started going, it went pretty well. As you all may or may not know (haha, you probably don't...) I'm going to Japan a week from today (YAY!) so I'm going to try to wrap this story up within this week... So the next chapter could be the last chapter (as I originally planned), or the chapter after that, or possibly the chapter after that. Basically, expect an ending soon. Enjoy!

Chapter 24: A Definite Possibility

"Well, they're back together," Gippal said, clicking his phone shut.

"No way!" Rikku cried, her eyes glowing, "Who was the one who got them back together?"

"Apparently," Gippal said, "Tidus did. He invited Yuna to be the first to ride with him in that car he bought, and she accepted."

"I didn't know Yunie had a thing for cars…" Rikku said.

"I bet she wanted to get back with him, but she was just waiting for him to come to her."

"Yeah," Rikku said, leaning back with a satisfied smile.

"I wonder if he told her that he's leaving for Zanarkand the day after his birthday," Gippal mused softly.

"I'm sure he has!" Rikku said, nodding, "They're probably trying to work something out."

"I don't know," Gippal said, shaking his head, "Tidus has been trying to forget the fact that college starts in a month. I bet he hasn't uttered a word about it to her."

"I guess Yunie hasn't said anything about it to me," Rikku said, looking thoughtful, "But he'll tell her, won't he?"

Gippal shrugged and said, "I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

-

"Thank you so much for helping me water the bushes," Yuna said, as she turned on the water for the hose.

Tidus, who was holding the hose, gave her a very annoyed look, and said, "Yeah, no problem. Sure I can't just call someone to do it for us?"

"You rely on help too often," Yuna said, shaking her head, "Okay, I'll be reading. Have fun watering!"

"Hey!" Tidus cried, but Yuna just started laughing.

"I'm kidding!" she cried, and she started toward him, "I can water them, actually."

She reached out to take the hose from him, but a sly smile spread across his lips, and he put his thumb into the opening of the hose, and sprayed Yuna.

Yuna let out a loud shriek, and cried, "Tidus, stop! It's cold!"

He laughed and ran away, still spraying her.

"Stop!" she cried, now completely soaked. She chased him, before she stopped and simply walked back and turned the hose off.

"This is why you're no fun!" Tidus cried as he watched the flow of water slowly diminish.

Yuna laughed and said, "And this is why I've decided never to water bushes with you again."

Tidus glared at her and said, "It was fun."

"For you!" Yuna cried, "Tidus, want a hug?"

"Hey!" Tidus cried as Yuna wrapped her arms around him, pressing her wet body into his.

"Hey!" he cried again, trying to push her away, "It's cold!"

"I told you!" Yuna said.

The two heard car doors shut then, and Gippal and Rikku walked around, both wearing perplexed expressions.

"What are you two doing?" Gippal asked.

"And why are you all wet, Yunie?" Rikku asked.

"Tidus sprayed me with the hose," Yuna answered, and shot him a quick glare. She took the hose from him, and turned it back on, and started to water.

"She's no fun," Tidus said, "So, what are you two up to?"

"I thought we'd work on some party planning," Gippal said, "But if you're busy…"

"I kind of am," Tidus said, nodding toward Yuna, who was now walking to the other side of the house, watering the bushes.

"Alright," Gippal said, "Everything's all set for the most part anyway. So, have you talked with her yet?"

"About the party? Just a little bit."

"No, about college," Gippal said, "You've told her that you leave the day after the party, right?"

Tidus shrugged, and noticed that Rikku was glaring at him. "What does it matter?" Tidus asked.

"What does it matter?" Rikku practically shrieked, "So what are you going to do, just dump her?"

Tidus glared back at Rikku, and focused on Gippal instead. "What, you want me to tell her?"

"Well of course! Shouldn't you guys discuss what you're going to do? She's going to be going to school here, and you'll be all the way in Zanarkand. And with your blitz schedule, you're not going to have time for her," Gippal said quickly, noticing that Rikku was beginning to look predatory.

"I'll have time for her," Tidus said, looking disgusted.

"What if she doesn't have time for you," Rikku pointed out quickly.

Tidus shot her another glare and said, "I'll tell her soon, okay?"

"Tell her now," Gippal said.

"Or I'll tell her," Rikku said, returning Tidus' glare.

Tidus made a face at Rikku and said, "Fine, okay? I'll tell her."

"Good," Gippal said.

"What are you two, my relationship counselors or something?" Tidus said, rolling his eyes in disgust, "Get lost."

"Just tell her, okay?" Gippal said.

"Yeah, work something out," Rikku said, smiling.

"Okay, okay," Tidus said, "Get lost you two."

Gippal shrugged and said, "Okay. See you later."

"Bye," Tidus said, crossing his arms. He watched them leave, before starting toward Yuna.

"Did Rikku and Gippal leave?" she asked as soon as he found her.

"Yeah," Tidus said, nodding.

Yuna said nothing, but she suddenly turned around, and sprayed Tidus with the hose.

"Hey!" he cried, "It's cold!"

She laughed and turned the hose back to the bushes. "I know," she said, shooting him a grin.

Tidus laughed, but he realized instantly how forced the laugh was. Gippal's words were bothering him. He found himself looking at the grass beneath him, his thoughts on what Gippal and Rikku had said. Surely he had to tell Yuna, but what would she say? Would she be mad that he waited so long to tell her? Would she say that it wouldn't work out?

Tidus' stomach began to ache. It wouldn't work out.

He looked up, and watched her as she watered the bushes. It had been stupid of him to get together with her again. But he couldn't help himself.

"Hey Yuna," he said, surprised at how easily he found his voice, "When do you head off to college?"

"In about five weeks," Yuna answered, "How about you? Do you know what school you're going to yet?"

Tidus shrugged. He hadn't officially made his decision, but he knew. He would make his decision everybody's news the day he headed off. A pang erupted in his stomach again. In just a matter of days…

"No, I don't," Tidus said, swallowing. Why was he having such a hard time telling her?

"When do you have to decide?" Yuna asked him.

"I don't know," came Tidus' answer.

"Well, which school do you want?" Yuna asked, flashing him a smile.

"None," came Tidus' answer.

"Are you nervous?" Yuna asked, her voice playful.

"Of course not!" Tidus said, laughing.

"Won't you miss Gippal?" Yuna asked.

Tidus shot her a quick glance. She wanted to know if he'd miss Gippal, but she wasn't worried about whether or not he'd miss her?

"Well, you could go to Bevelle," Yuna said, giving him a smile, "Right?"

Tidus wanted to tell her not to get her hopes up. But he didn't.

"Yeah, it's a definite possibility," he lied.

She smiled and said, "We'd be close too then, you know."

"Yeah…" Tidus said, and he forced himself to smile back at her.

"But you have to choose the school that's right for you," Yuna said, throwing him another smile.

Tidus laughed and said, "I'll only be there for a year or two, Yuna. Then I'll go play professional blitz."

"Oh, right," Yuna said, "It's still not a bad idea to get a degree. You have free college. Why not use it?"

Tidus laughed and said, "I'll be lucky to get the necessary point-five G.P.A."

Yuna laughed, and cried "Point-five!"

"Yeah," Tidus said, "We can't all get four-point-ohs!"

"Just study. It's not that difficult."

"College isn't for studying!" Tidus said, looking shocked, "It's for partying and blitzing!"

"No, it's for studying!" Yuna said, "It's school, after all."

"Let's stop talking about it," Tidus said, hoping that a change of subject would make the entire matter just disappear, "Wanna go swimming?"

"No thanks, I'm already drenched," Yuna said, turning the hose off, for she had finished, "I'm surprised you don't want to get ice cream _again_."

"I'm into popsicles now," Tidus said, stretching.

Yuna laughed, and her cell phone suddenly began to ring.

"Hello?" she answered it, "Oh, hey Rikku!"

Rikku? Tidus' eyes shot to his girlfriend.

"What was Tidus supposed to tell me?" Yuna asked then, turning and facing Tidus.

"Uh, Yuna!" Tidus said, taking the phone from Yuna, "I actually need to talk to Rikku. Hey Rikku, Yuna and I are kind of busy right now. She'll call you back."

With that, Tidus hung up.

"Tidus, what in the world—"

"Hey!" Tidus said, shoving her phone in his pocket, "Let's go for a walk!"

He took her hand and started dragging her toward the road, where they had been known to take walks down.

"Tidus, what's wrong?" Yuna asked him, but she walked alongside him anyway, not letting go of his hand.

"Nothing," Tidus said, "I just thought it would be a nice day for a walk."

"Is there something you're supposed to tell me?" Yuna asked, giving him a confused look.

"Why would you think that?" Tidus asked, doing his best to play it cool.

"Rikku said…"

"You probably misheard her," Tidus said, shooting Yuna the most charming smile he could muster.

She looked at him suspiciously, but she finally sighed and said, "Well, whatever. Hey, what do you want for your birthday?"

Tidus felt himself clench her hand tighter. "You," he said, smiling at her.

"Just me?" Yuna asked, "Nothing else."

"What would a guy like me possibly want?" Tidus asked, laughing to himself.

"That's true," Yuna said, "How about a book?"

Tidus laughed and said, "I guess I could read it while I'm on the toilet…"

Yuna rolled her eyes and nudged him, and said, "Seriously now, what do you want?"

"I already told you," Tidus said, "There's nothing else I want."

"Are you trying to be sweet?" Yuna asked, looking at him suspiciously again.

"Yuna," Tidus said, shaking his head, "I'm telling you the truth. Don't get me a gift, okay? And don't feel bad about it."

"Okay," Yuna said, shrugging, "But what fun is that?"

"It's a ton of fun," Tidus said, throwing her a cheeky smile, "Trust me."

"If you say so," Yuna said, smiling at him.

The two reached the end of their route, and turned around, heading back to their houses, their hands still enclosed around each other's.

"So are you excited for your party?" Yuna asked, still smiling at him.

"Yes and no," Tidus said shrugging.

"Why not?" Yuna asked.

Tidus shrugged and said, "I don't know…"

"I think it will be exciting!" Yuna said, "I'm a little nervous though…"

Tidus looked down at her, while the shoulder consciences came into his view once again. He had to tell her. They had to make plans. But how? How could he just break it to her that he was going to go to Zanarkand with little time to do anything but blitz?

He looked at their clenched hands. He wanted it to work out, he really did, but he was worried. So many things could go wrong. Was it selfish of him to keep Yuna as his, even though he wouldn't get to see her?

He swallowed. Yes, it was selfish. And it was also selfish of him to not tell her.

"Yuna, I—"

"Tidus!" Yuna suddenly cried, interrupting him, "I forgot to tell you! Brutus and Tiny both found homes! Isn't that great?"

"Uh, yeah…" Tidus said, his shoulders dropping, "That's really great."

"I'm sorry, what were going to say?" Yuna asked, her eyes glowing.

"N-Nothing," Tidus said, and he swallowed hard. He would simply tell her the next day.

-

"Tidus, why do you have Yuna's phone?"

Tidus jumped. "I-I don't have Yuna's phone."

"Then what's this?" Gippal asked, pulling a pink phone out of Tidus' pocket.

"Oh, that's Yuna's?" Tidus asked, snatching it back from him.

"Unless you now have a pink phone," Gippal said, giving his friend a suspicious look, "What gives, Tidus? Rikku told me she thought she lost her phone."

"I took it from her," Tidus said, sighing, "Gip, I can't tell her that I'm leaving."

"Why the hell not?" Gippal cried, "It's not a big deal, Tidus. You're making this way worse than it is."

"Gip, I can't, okay? I don't want to lose her!"

"You're going to lose her if you suddenly disappear for a few years!" Gippal cried.

"Yeah but…"

"Be a man, Tidus. Call her—oh, you can't, you have her phone—go talk to her."

"She's at the library," Tidus reminded his friend with a pout.

"Tidus, you leave the day after tomorrow!" Gippal said through clenched teeth, "And you don't want to tell her at the party!"

"Gip, I can't tell her!" Tidus said, and he leaned his head into his arms, "What am I supposed to say? Yuna, I'm going to Zanarkand in two days and I won't get the time to see you again, but I still want you to be mine?"

"Well, I'd word it a little bit differently…" Gippal mumbled, "Or, you could say, "Yuna, I have to go to Zanarkand, and I'm leaving soon. I know it's sudden, but I have to take it. I'll do my best to see you when I can."'

"That's a lie," Tidus said, glaring at his friend.

"Ti, it works!" Gippal cried, "And then you just try really hard to see her!"

Tidus shook his head. "I'm not doing that to her, Gip. I'm going to just disappear from her life. Got it?"

"Tidus, don't do that," Gippal said, shaking his head, "Okay, don't lie, but at least tell her! Even if you tell her what you said earlier! Anything, okay? Or Rikku's gonna get ticked and tell her for you."

"Fine, I'll tell her," Tidus finally cried, "Will that make you happy?"

"Yes, it will," Gippal said, "Come on, let's keep getting the coolers packed."

Tidus nodded, and began to dump some ice into a cooler. He tried to focus on his task ahead, even though it was one of the simplest tasks he could be doing. He definitely didn't want to think of Yuna.

-

"Wow, there are so many people here!" Yuna cried, grasping onto Tidus' arm tightly.

Tidus laughed and said, "There were twice as many people at our party, remember?"

She smiled at him and said, "I kind of try to forget about that night."

"Me too, to be honest," Tidus said, laughing, "Although our party is going to get voted the year's best. That's pretty awesome."

"This party should be voted the year's best though," Yuna said, "Our party was stupid compared to this!"

Tidus laughed and said, "Yuna, this is nothing…"

Yuna just smiled, and said, "Where are Rikku and Gippal?"

"I don't know," Tidus said, "I haven't seen Gippal for a while now…" He was lying. They had told Tidus that they would be by the pool, which was an area that Tidus was purposely avoiding. He sighed. He left in just a matter of hours, and he still hadn't told Yuna.

Tidus swallowed hard and said, "Yuna, there's something I need to tell you."

Yuna's eyes lit up to this, and she said, "There's something I need to tell you too!" Tidus' heart fell. He could only hope her news was nothing like his. Judging by the happiness in her tone and eyes, it wasn't.

"Um, let's go over here," Tidus said, taking her hand. He led her over to the corner of his yard, where it merged into hers.

"You go first!" she said, her smile apparent even in the dark.

"No, you go first," Tidus said, "Really."

Yuna laughed and said, "No, I want you to go first!"

Tidus bit his lip softly. She was obviously excited about something, and he was just going to ruin it.

"Yuna," he finally said, shaking his head, "Trust me, you go first."

Her smile faded, but only slightly. She then smiled widely and said, "Okay, I know you told me not to get you anything for your birthday, so I didn't. But I did a lot of thinking—a lot—and I really love you Tidus, and—"

"Yuna," Tidus said, "You should just—"

Yuna interrupted him and said, "I know you told me that you wouldn't pressure me, but I gave it a lot of thought, Tidus. Rikku and I both talked about it, and weighed out the pros and cons. Tidus, I want to—"

"Yuna, I'm leaving tomorrow!" Tidus finally cried out, and he was shocked at how harsh his voice sounded.

"What?" Yuna said, her smile instantly fading, "You're leaving?"

"I'm going to Zanarkand," Tidus said, "I…I'm going to school. Practice starts tomorrow."

"Oh," Yuna said, her voice very soft, "Well, it's alright. You'll be free on the weekends, won't you?"

"No," Tidus said, "Zanarkand has one of the best teams in the conference. We practice every second we can."

"Okay," Yuna said, "Well, I'll come visit you then!"

"I'm going to be tired and grumpy, and…"

"And it doesn't matter," Yuna said, "I still have a month before I start school."

"Yuna, it's not going to be that easy," Tidus said, looking at the ground.

Yuna looked at him for a long time, her features falling more and more with each passing second.

Finally, she looked away from him, and said, "How long have you known?"

Tidus sighed and said, "All summer."

"And you couldn't tell me a little bit sooner?" Yuna asked, her voice becoming louder, harsher.

"I wanted to…" Tidus started.

"So what, you're just giving up?" Yuna asked, "You don't even want to try to have a long-distance relationship?"

"Of course I want to try!" Tidus cried, "But I'm trying to be realistic!"

"Okay," Yuna said angrily, "So realistically, you don't think it's going to work? And since you're being realistic, you don't even want to give it a try? Because, realistically you're a huge wimp?"

Tidus rolled his eyes and he said, "Yuna, I've been thinking a lot about it."

Yuna just shook her head, a look of disbelief plastered across her face. "I'm just glad you told me. After all, I was about to do something rather stupid."

"Yeah, you were," Tidus said, shaking his head.

Yuna swallowed loudly and Tidus figured she was trying to keep from crying.

"I don't want to ruin your party," Yuna said after quite a while of silence, "But I…"

"Go ahead," Tidus said, "I ruined it myself. I should have told you a long time ago."

Yuna started to walk away, only to stop.

"Tidus, this is ridiculous," she said, turning around to face him again, "Is this really how you want it?"

"It's the only way I can _have_ it," Tidus said, his eyes on Yuna's, "I love you, Yuna. I really do. But I think it's real selfish of me to keep you as mine and never see you."

"It's not selfish!" Yuna cried, and she hoped she didn't sound desperate, "It's alright! I swear Tidus, it's fine with me!"

"Yuna, I'm your first boyfriend," Tidus said, "I can't force you to remain my girlfriend. There's gonna be other guys."

"No there isn't!" Yuna said, "Tidus, even if there are, I don't care!"

"You're just being stubborn," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"And you're being selfish!" Yuna cried.

"I'm trying hard not to be!" Tidus cried, "Yuna, if I was being selfish, you and I would be in my bedroom right now, and the whole time I'd know that I'd have to leave in the morning. If I was being selfish, for the next four years you'd be doing nothing but studying, while I played blitz. It wouldn't work out. And I think that we need to end this before it becomes more serious than it is."

Yuna crossed her arms and said, "If you want to give me up that easily, I'm fine."

Tidus rolled his eyes again, and he said, "Yuna, you know it's not like that."

Yuna didn't answer him. She simply stomped off.

Tidus watched her go, while doing everything in his power to refrain from chasing after her. He hadn't exactly meant to do what he had just done.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and trudged back to his party.


	25. Adjustments

Alright folks, here it is. The final chapter of "Combined Yards". (Eh, I just had a Tidus moment, you know, in the game, when he's all, "the last chapter in my story"...Sorry, that was random...) Anyway, I want to thank you all immensely, and I wish I could draw this story out through the month of August too, but with Japan and all...And I start college in early September, and I'm playing tennis...So yeah, I just thought that ending it now would be the wisest thing I could do. Again, thank you all for your lovely reviews! (At one point, I even got addicted to checking my reviews...Heh...) Here is the final chapter (and longest chapter!), enjoy!

Chapter 25: Adjustments

Yuna stared across her yard and into the completely empty yard that merged into hers. It wasn't exactly empty by any means. The pool sat there, ready to be used, as did an expensive speaker system.

The inside of the house was the exact same as its outside. There were furnishings and expensive toys everywhere, showing all signs that someone lived in the house. But nobody did live there. Not anymore.

Rikku and Gippal hadn't asked her about what had happened, and she hadn't told them. It was almost as if it was mutual that it was over, to all parties involved, and all without an explanation.

Yuna didn't want to talk about it with anybody. She didn't want to let the world know that Tidus had turned her into what she liked to call a love-sick moron. But she was one. She could sit there for hours, noticing how the world seemed less bright, less colorful. The books in front of her no longer seemed to be interesting. She couldn't even bring herself to go to the humane society.

She couldn't bring herself to do anything.

Her phone began to ring, and Yuna grabbed it, knowing it was Rikku. The last person she wanted to talk to was Rikku, Miss I'm-so-happily-in-love. But Yuna answered it anyway.

"Hey," Yuna said, her tone flat and annoyed.

"Yunie, you only have three weeks until you start school, and all you've been doing is bumming around!" Rikku's high-pitched voice stated loudly in Yuna's ear, "So I decided tonight would be a great day for a girl's day out!"

Yuna sighed loudly and said, "Where's Gippal?"

"Visiting Tidus."

"Oh, so Tidus has time to visit with Gippal, but not with me," Yuna found herself voicing loudly, despite the fact that she hadn't wanted to discuss her relationship status with Rikku.

"Um…What exactly did Tidus tell you?" Rikku asked, her voice suddenly soft.

"He said that he wouldn't really have time for a relationship in Zanarkand."

To Yuna's surprise, Rikku laughed and said, "Oh Yevon is Tidus a wimp."

"Why are you laughing?" Yuna cried, standing up and dropping her book to the ground. Yuna paced over to the edge of her balcony, looking into Tidus' yard. She was amazed at how much she wanted to talk about this. How much she wanted to talk about _Tidus_.

"Tidus told Gippal that he and you decided to break up mutually because you both thought that you should have the chance to see other guys, since Tidus was your first boyfriend. And in two years or so, if you're both still in love, you'd get back together."

"Why would he tell Gippal that?" Yuna asked, her voice soft, "That's not at all what he told me."

"So what do you think the real reason is?" Rikku asked, "By the way, I'm pulling into your driveway."

"I don't know what the real reason is," Yuna said, walking into her house and down her stairs, leaving her book lying on the ground where she'd dropped it, "But he ticks me off."

Rikku laughed again and said, "I don't understand him either. So what, did he not tell you until the party? We warned him to tell you sooner."

"Wait, you knew?" Yuna cried.

"Yeah. I'm hanging up, Yunie."

Yuna and Rikku both clicked their phones shut just as Yuna let Rikku into her house, her arms crossed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yuna asked, "Maybe if I'd had more time, I could have worked something out with Tidus!"

"Tidus made it seem like he wanted to tell you, and that he was going to tell you soon," Rikku said, "So what exactly happened the night of the party?"

"Tidus told me that he wouldn't have time for me, and that he didn't think it'd be fair for me to wait for him," Yuna said, rolling her eyes, "But apparently that was a lie."

"I wouldn't say lie exactly…" Rikku said, "I mean, it's true. He's going to be all the way in Zanarkand, and you're going to be all the way in Luca. When are you planning on seeing each other?"

"We could have met halfway, or we could have taken turns to drive to see each other, or I could have just gone to see him…" Yuna mumbled all of this, and Rikku figured Yuna had been thinking about it a lot.

"That's a long ways to drive," Rikku sighed, "And Tidus did have a point. Maybe you do need to see some other guys. And if you're both still in love with each other two years later, then maybe you'll both know that you're really in love."

"I don't care if I ever date anybody else," Yuna said, her eyes on the ground, "But apparently Tidus must."

"Gippal said he's been doing nothing but playing blitzball," Rikku said, shrugging.

"When did you talk to him?"

"Ten minutes ago or so…"

Yuna grabbed her keys. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"Yunie, Zanarkand's a good four hours away!"

"So!" Yuna said, grabbing her handbag, "Are you coming or staying?"

Rikku sighed loudly and said, "Fine, but Gippal is not going to be happy to see either of us."

"And neither is Tidus," Yuna said between her teeth.

-

"Yunie, I think this was a bad idea," Rikku said, sliding down in her chair, as the city of Zanarkand loomed in the distance.

Yuna swallowed and said, "Me too."

"Let's turn around!" Rikku said, looking happy at the thought.

Yuna shook her head and said, "Rikku, we've come this far. We just have to keep going and hope for the best."

Rikku slid back in her seat and said, "I guess you're right."

"Everything will be fine," Yuna said, although she was trying to convince herself more than she was Rikku, "Besides, what do you have to worry about?"

"About halfway here," Rikku said, appearing sheepish, "I remembered that I promised Gippal that I wouldn't tell you he was here."

Yuna laughed and said, "Well, I guess that is a problem. Call him right now and ask him where he is."

"I can't do that, Yunie!" Rikku cried.

"Rikku, how else do you expect us to find them?" Yuna asked as she slowed down her car, for there was quite a large amount of traffic to get into the city.

"I don't know!" Rikku cried, "I've never even been here before! Have you?"

"A long time ago," Yuna said, sighing, "You're right, maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

At that moment, the sappy love-song ring tone of Rikku's song suddenly floated into the air, causing Rikku to momentarily forget her problems.

"Hey Gippal!" she chirped. Her broad smile that had appeared at the sound of her ringtone immediately disappeared though, for she sighed and said, "Gippal, what would you do if I told you that Yuna and I were stuck in traffic at this very second, about to enter Zanarkand?"

"You're not serious…" Rikku's phone was very loud, so Yuna could hear every word Gippal said.

"Well, Yunie wanted to talk to Tidus, and—"

"Rikku, didn't I tell you not to tell her?" Gippal's exasperated voice was heard.

"I know, but…" Rikku said, apparently having yet to notice that Yuna was listening in on the conversation, "I felt bad for her. Tidus was such a jerk Gippal!"

"I'm sure Tidus had a very good reason," Gippal said, and Yuna noticed that his tone sounded almost defenseful.

"I'm sure he didn't!" came Rikku's angry reply, "So anyway, where are you two?"

"At a strip bar."

"You'd better not be!" Rikku said loudly, and Yuna noticed her face was turning red.

"Relax, of course I'm not. Tidus went to one last night."

Yuna looked at her steering wheel. At least Tidus had been enjoying himself.

"So you're saying you wanted to go to one and Tidus wouldn't let you?" Rikku cried, her face growing redder. Yuna rolled her eyes. She wished her cousin would forget about Gippal and get to the point.

"Hell yeah," Gippal said, making Rikku even angrier, "You can't come to Zanarkand and _not_ go to one. Everybody knows that."

"When I get there, Gippal," Rikku said, "I am dragging you straight home. Zanarkand is such a horrible place!"

"Rikku," Yuna interrupted, "Can you please just find out where he is? Save your squabbles for later."

"Yunie wants to know where you are," Rikku said, ignoring her cousin's last statement.

"Tidus' new place," Gippal said, "It's across from the blitz arena in the A-East district. Ohalland Avenue, or something like that. I'll meet you outside."

By this time, Yuna had managed to navigate through most of the traffic, glad that she had been the one to drive, for if Rikku were driving, Yuna knew she would have pulled over to talk with Gippal.

Yuna was feeling rushed suddenly. She didn't know why, but she felt that she had to see Tidus. After all, a strip bar? Was he serious? Yuna attempted to calm herself down. This was _Tidus_, after all, not some innocent guy like Baralai. But hadn't she changed him at all?

Yuna shook her head. It was normal for a guy to go to a strip bar. Wasn't it?

"I can't believe him," Rikku said, hanging her phone up, "Did you hear what he said, Yunie?"

Yuna nodded.

"Tidus is an absolute horrid influence on him," Rikku said, "No offense, Yunie."

"It's not that big of a deal," Yuna said, as she began to drive into the city, "So how do I get there?"

"Gippal said you take a right here, and then a left," Rikku said, "Another left, and you should be in the right area at least. He said we'd have to drive for a good mile or two, and then we'd come across the place. He should be standing outside."

"Okay," Yuna said, turning right as directed. Her stomach was beginning to flip. It had only been a week since she'd last seen Tidus, but it was beginning to seem like a long time ago. She wondered how he was adjusting. She assumed he was adjusting far too well.

She sighed a loud, audible sigh. He was adjusting just fine. He was adjusting just fine without her.

-

"Why, why, why?" Tidus cried, tapping his head onto his table, "Why didn't you give them the wrong directions or something?"

"Don't be a dumbass, Tidus," Gippal said, leaning in the doorway, "Do you think I'm crazy that Rikku's showing up? There goes all the plans we made. And besides, don't kid yourself. You want to see Yuna."

Tidus lifted his head off of the table slowly, and said, "Of course I want to see her. But it's not what I had planned. She was supposed to forget about me."

"She's not just going to forget about you," Gippal said, shaking his head, "She's obviously in love with you."

"I'm such an idiot," Tidus mumbled, "Doesn't she realize that there's no way we can make this work?"

"Well, you could have at least talked with her, instead of just leaving her like that," Gippal said, "Tidus, you are an idiot. You think you understand women, just because you know how to lull them into bed. But when it comes to relationships, you're an absolute idiot. Do you love Yuna?"

Tidus was reluctant to answer, but he finally mumbed, "Yes."

"Do you really love Yuna?" Gippal asked, acting as if he hadn't heard Tidus' response to his last question.

"Yes."

"Then why are you just saying goodbye to her like that? What are you planning on doing, Tidus? Hooking up with another girl like Dona? Is that your plan?"

"…Kind of."

"That's what I figured. And what about Yuna? You expect that she'll hook up with some guy like Baralai and be happy? And that you'll just disappear from her mind and she'll never think about you again?"

"Well yeah…"

"Bud, that's not how it happens," Gippal said, rolling his eyes, "If I just left Rikku right now, she'd follow me everywhere like a lost puppy. Yuna simply isn't the type to do that, but yet she's coming to Zanarkand to see you. She must be crazy about you."

"You don't think she deserves a guy like me," Tidus said.

"You're just acting like an idiot," Gippal said, "This isn't how it was supposed to work, right? You weren't supposed to fall in love with some girl. Things aren't going according to plan, and that scares you, am I right?"

"Gip, she was going to sleep with me!" Tidus cried, "Miss I'm-never-having-sex really was going to! That scares me!"

"Scares you?" Gippal cried, "Why?"

"Because she's Yuna!" Tidus cried, hitting his head on the table again, "She's not supposed to want to do it! Especially not with a guy like me!"

"Tidus, you are being a girl," Gippal snorted, "Girls like Yuna can want to do that sort of thing too, you know."

Tidus looked up at his friend, and he said, "You did it with Rikku, didn't you?"

"I'm not telling you," Gippal said, crossing his arms.

"Was it when we were in Besaid? Because I bet Yuna that you would."

"Yevon, only you would bet on something like that," Gippal said, rolling his eyes, "Anyway, I told them I'd stand outside and wait for them."

Tidus hit his head on the table again. "What am I supposed to say to her?" he moaned.

Gippal shrugged and said, "I have my own problems, Ti. Rikku's ticked at me."

With that, Gippal turned and walked out the door, leaving Tidus sitting there, with his head still on the table.

-

"There's Gippal," Rikku said, for sure enough, there stood Gippal, pointing to a place in front of him, as if telling them to park there.

"Tidus lives there?" Yuna questioned, looking at the huge apartment building in front of her.

"He must," Rikku said, but she sounded distracted. She rushed out of the car before Yuna had even set it in park, and marched over to Gippal, not looking happy at all.

Yuna slowly walked out of her car, and she started toward the bickering couple. A flash caught her eye though, and she saw Tidus exit the door to the building, his arms crossed across his chest, and his eyes on her.

Her heart began to speed. She hadn't wanted it to be like this, but she couldn't help it. Suddenly, she felt as if she hadn't seen him in years, despite the fact that it had only been a week. A lump appeared in her throat, egged on by the beating of her heart. The last thing she wanted to do was cry.

Well, she thought that was the last thing she wanted to do. She shocked herself by not crying, but instead by taking off, running at full speed, toward Tidus.

He seemed shocked too, for as she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him quickly, she pushed him backwards, and he would have fallen over if he hadn't hit the door.

It was then that Yuna began to cry.

Gippal and Rikku stared at Yuna, and their arguing ended immediately. They looked at each other and smiled, and then started down the street, deciding to leave Tidus and Yuna alone.

It wasn't long before Tidus' arms also found their way around Yuna, and he held the sobbing girl tightly in his arms, before saying, "Wanna see my new place?"

His words took her aback, so she pulled out of his grasp, and wiped her tears away as forcefully as she could. All she could do was nod.

He took her hand silently into his own, and led her into the building, and to the elevator. It was a nice building, the perfect mixture of chic and comfort. The floor was of white marble and the walls were painted in a glossy black. There was so much light from the almost entirely windowed wall though, that it didn't appear dark at all.

The elevator was similar to the entrance, in that it was black and white, while the buttons were red.

Tidus slid a card-key into the designated slot and hit the button for the tenth floor, and the two stood there, staring straight ahead, as the elevator doors slowly closed.

As soon as they were fully shut, Tidus turned to Yuna, and Yuna couldn't help but turn back to him. It wasn't long before Tidus' arms were wrapped around her, and hers his, and their lips pressed tightly together.

Yuna hadn't exactly meant to show up and make out with Tidus in the elevator, but she couldn't help herself. She felt like an alcoholic who had just been offered a bottle of wine after a week away from it. She was relapsing, and it felt wonderful.

The elevator dinged, announcing that they'd reached their designated floor, and Yuna pulled back, afraid that someone would be standing out there, shocked to see them kissing.

"Relax," Tidus said, although he too pulled away from her and took her hand again, "I own the whole floor."

"You do?" Yuna asked as he pulled her out of the elevator.

"Of course," Tidus said, and he unlocked a door with the number ten on it.

He led her in, and walked into the rather new-looking kitchen, and threw his keys and card-key onto the counter, "This is the place."

"It's huge!" Yuna said, walking in, her eyes wide, "And really…nice. It definitely has my dorm room beat."

"Yeah," Tidus said, stifling a laugh, "Zanarkand really pulled all strings to have me go to their school."

"Do you have a roommate?" Yuna asked.

"Nah," Tidus said, shaking his head.

"Isn't that kind of lonely?" Yuna asked, looking at the spacious living room that she was standing in.

"Nah," came Tidus' reply again, although Yuna noticed he was staring at the ground.

"I…I guess you're probably wondering why I'm here," Yuna said then, suddenly feeling awkward. She wasn't his girlfriend anymore. What had she been thinking?

"I have a pretty good idea as to why you're here," Tidus said, and he sighed, "It's my fault, Yuna. I should have told you earlier, and we should have discussed it more. It's just, I didn't want to hold you back. I didn't want me to be your only one, you know."

"So you wanted me to cheat on you?" Yuna asked, looking confused.

"No, I wanted us to break up, so that you could be with other guys," Tidus said, shrugging, "I guess I didn't think it was fair that I hogged you all to myself, and barely had to time to see you."

"But couldn't we have just tried to see how things went?" Yuna asked, not liking the fact that she was using past tense, as if it could never happen.

"I don't know," came Tidus' response, "I tried to think of another solution, but I couldn't. Soon, it was time for me to leave, and I hadn't thought of anything. So I went with this one."

"Well, I hate to be stubborn, but I think it's stupid," Yuna said, crossing her arms.

"So you'd be okay with the fact that we won't get to see each other at all?" Tidus asked, looking shocked.

"If you are," Yuna said, "then I'm fine with it. And besides, I'm sure there's more times we can see each other then you think. We'd just have to make adjustments."

"Not that I'm jumping to conclusions or anything," Tidus said, suddenly appearing sheepish, "But what if you married me? Me, your only boyfriend?"

"If that's how things happened," Yuna said, taking a deep breath, "Then yes, I'd be fine with that. I think you're making a bigger deal out of this than you need to."

"You think?" Tidus asked, a small smile creeping onto his lips, "I guess I thought it would be easier to be away from you if we weren't together."

"Well, it's not going to be easy," Yuna said, sitting down on the couch, "But I think we'll survive."

Tidus followed Yuna and sat on the couch next to her, and said, "So if you were married to a professional blitzer…how exactly would that fit into your life schedule?"  
"Wonderfully," Yuna said, and she prodded him with her elbow, "You'll make good enough money, right?"

Tidus laughed and said, "Yevon, you don't even want to know…"

"My father would be upset," Yuna admitted, "But it's alright."

"Well, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Tidus asked her.

"A literary agent," Yuna said, "I want to choose which books get published, and which ones don't, and represent authors."

Tidus nodded slowly, and said, "I'm sure Zanarkand would be a perfect place for one of them."

Yuna smiled and nodded as well, saying, "Yes, I'm sure it would be."

She couldn't help but wrap her arms around Tidus', and lean her head on his shoulder. It was hard to think that she'd have to spend a lot of time away from him, but she figured it would be worth it, despite what Tidus seemed to believe. She voiced this out loud.

"Tidus," she said thoughtfully, "I can wait, you know. If you can. Or even if you can't…"

"I can definitely wait," Tidus said, leaning his head on top of hers, "As long as you don't think it's selfish of me to keep you to myself."

"It's selfish of me," Yuna said, closing her eyes, "I'm the one who won't let you go, remember?"

"Right, you chased me all the way here," Tidus said, "You sure you're not one of those psycho girlfriends who's going to kill me any second now?"

Yuna laughed and said, "Maybe…"

"Well, no need to do that," Tidus said, laughing as well, "I'm yours. No reason to kill me."

"Alright, I won't," Yuna said, pecking him on the cheek.

A few seconds of silence fell over the two then, before Tidus said, "Well, I'm totally free tonight. I'll just cancel my plans with Gippal, and I'm all yours."

Yuna giggled and said, "What, you don't want to go to the strip bar?"

Tidus rolled his eyes and said, "No. I don't care if Zanarkand's famous for them."

"Well, maybe I wanted to go to one," Yuna said, smiling a sly smile.

"What, you want to see naked girls?"

"Aren't there ones with naked guys?" Yuna asked, looking shocked.

Tidus laughed and said, "Yeah, but I'm not going to one of those! Besides, aren't your eyes a little too innocent for that?"

Yuna shrugged and said, "You don't know what I've been up to this past week…"

"Don't be perverted," Tidus said, laughing, but then his voice dropped and he said, "Wait, you haven't, have you?"

Yuna laughed and said, "Don't be so gullible! I spent my time eating a lot of ice cream and chocolate."

"Don't talk about ice cream!" Tidus moaned, "Yevon could I go for some of that damn chocolate cake ice cream!"

Yuna laughed, but her laughing was quickly drowned out by a sudden knocking on the door.

Tidus jumped up, and there stood Gippal and Rikku, with pleased smiles on their faces.

"Gip!" Tidus said, "Look, I'm going to have to cancel our plans, that alright with you?"

Gippal laughed and said, "Fine with me. Rikku and I have some new plans anyway. I guess we'll see you later?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, shutting the door on them, "See you around."

As soon as the door was shut, Tidus ran back to Yuna, and flung himself onto the couch, knocking her down. The two kissed for quite some time, before they finally just laid there in each other's arms.

They both knew that there were going to be some very long months ahead of them, but nothing seemed to matter. It didn't matter that they wouldn't be able to see each other very often. It didn't matter that they would be miles upon miles away from each other. The would wait.

Yuna snuggled up to Tidus, a faint smile on her face. She could already feel the lighter breeze of the late summer afternoon blowing in from an open window. Somewhere deep inside of her, she had always felt that this romance would die with the summer. But as she saw it now, it would last for summer after summer.

"How long do you think Rikku and Gippal will be together?" Yuna found herself murmering.

"Forever," Tidus said.

"And us?" Yuna asked, looking up at him.

Tidus appeared thoughtful, and he said, "Well, Gippal didn't think we'd make it a week, so I'd say maybe until we're twenty?"

"Just twenty?" Yuna cried.

Tidus laughed and kissed the top of her head, saying, "Right now, I'd like to say forever."

"You're the one that was talking about marriage," Yuna said sleepily.

"And you're the one who told me a long time ago that you didn't want to get married," Tidus reminded her.

"Things change," Yuna said.

Tidus laughed, and he said, "Yeah they do. Look at me, I'm whipped!"

Yuna simply laughed and looked at him. He looked at her as well, and before she knew it, her lips were on his once more.

She felt another cool breeze, signaling that summer indeed did want to end. She smiled into the kiss.

There would always be other summers. This she was sure of now.


End file.
